Well de Rouge A Inuyasha X Moulin Rouge Tale
by Stone Dragon Ruby
Summary: COMPLETE! What happens when u take the cast of Inuyasha and mix it with the movie Moulin Rouge? A half-breed gigolo falling for a poor seamstress whom is impersonating as the head courtesan until the real one returns? It's not what you think!
1. There was a Boy

Disclaimer; The original characters in the based story are not mine and the characters that are originally in the series are not mine. Characters of my own creation are added to the story; otherwise the characters belong to the original author.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Well de Rouge (An Inu-yasha X Moulin Rouge Tale)  
  
This is a story about truth, beauty, freedom, love, and a gigolo who is half-human/dog demon? Yes folks that's right, Inu-yasha is the male prostitute in this story, and Kagome is a poor seamstress looking for a better life in Paris.  
  
Inu-yasha, the famous gigolo of the Well de Rouge, has lived out his life of pleasure under the protection of his demon brother and boss, Sesshoumaru, the owner of the Well de Rouge. This is a place where humans and demons alike gather to seek out sinful pleasures with their choice of beautiful and handsome demons or humans every night. What makes Inu-yasha so special is that he's both, and is also incredibly handsome (don't deny it). In the beginning, he used to lovely a courtesan named Kikyo, but she soon learned that her job required much more discipline in her affairs, and pushed Inu-yasha aside.  
  
Kagome, a poor and young seamstress, comes to Paris with hopes of becoming a fashion designer or at least finding a job. With no such luck, she finds a cheap hotel and decides to make the best of it by drawing sketches of clothing.  
  
By a twist of fate, these two will meet by pure accident (just like the movie) and somehow fall in love with each other, something that is forbidden in Inu-yasha's line of work.  
  
Now, they will have to hide it from Sesshoumaru and their friends, and also Kikyo's newest client and master, Duke Naraku.  
  
Are you drooling yet? Now, this story will be written with all the Moulin Rouge songs (some slightly altered due to characters, so please don't kill me) and if I get the words wrong, it's because I have no lyrics in front of me, I'm doing it all by ear.  
  
So, wipe your mouth (or just get a bucket) and get ready for what I hope will be the wildest twist between two stories. So, get your Can Can on, find the Lady Marmalade (or Master) in you, and get ready for some serous Inu-yasha/ Kagome romance and some fun with Kouga (who plays a gigolo as well), Sesshoumaru, Sango and Miroku (the play writes and actors), Shippo (an actor), and Rin who plays as the hotel manager's daughter who is interested in Kagome's fashion drawings.  
  
Okay enough talk...let us begin!  
  
(Chapter Revised August 2003)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 1; There was a Boy  
  
(There was a boy  
  
A very strange, enchanted boy  
  
They say he wandered very far  
  
Very far, over land and sea  
  
A little shy and sad of eye  
  
But very wise was he  
  
And then one day  
  
One magic day he passed my way  
  
And while we spoke of many things  
  
Fools and Kings  
  
This he said to me  
  
"The greatest thing  
  
You'll ever learn  
  
Is just to love  
  
And be loved in return!")  
  
This is a story about a man. The man a young seamstress fell in love with. The man she loved is...dead.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay, sniffle, cry, and sob!  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kagome came to Paris with dreams of making it to the fashion industry, but with little money, a carpetbag of cloth, needles, and other whatnots, all she could do for now was find a place to stay. So, with the clothing on her back, her favorite long skirt, a white under shirt complete with a black corset, and her black knee-high heels, she went off on her search to find a place to stay for the night.  
  
She stepped off the train and took a breath of her new found freedom. Her ebony hair played with the wind and she opened her eyes to look upon her new home.  
  
"Paris!" she whispered, and picked up her carpetbag and whisked off to the south end of the city. She counted her money, which consisted of 600 francs. As she counted, the words her grandfather told her before she left resounded in her head, "It is a place of sin! Where demon's look to find a young maiden and seduce them into giving them what they desire most, YOUR MONEY!!!"  
  
Kagome shook her head though, but still took the warning with great judgment. She was smart enough to keep away from those places. Besides, she had a dream to follow, and she would have to make her money last in case of emergencies. She never knew love, anyway, so it wouldn't matter to her.  
  
She found a hotel, and rested out the cheapest room, which was the size of maybe a walk in closet. It was on the top floor, and it came equipped with an oil lamp, bed, and a window that led out to a balcony cluttered with crates.  
  
Kagome shrugged her shoulders and placed her bag down and began to set up her manikin and lay out all of her rolls of white cotton, lace, silk, and satin. She placed her sketchbook and folder by the oil lamp, and placed her needles and various colored treads and dyes. Then, she took out the expensive fabrics with prints, and placed them safely away in a locked drawer. She completed her house warming by placing white linens on her bed and an old brown blanket.  
  
Feeling that there was nothing left to do, she whipped the sweat from her forehead and gathered up her sketchbook and lead, and walked out to her cramped cement balcony. She made a seat for herself on the crates and leaned back to dream.  
  
As she was doing so, she saw a red well where on lookers would either spit and curse, or place a single coin in for good luck she supposed. Not far behind it was a gate that led to a massive hall. Upon the building was a sign written in lights that were out during the day, "Well de Rouge".  
  
Kagome snorted in disbelief, and brushed her hair to the side as she began to sketch her first masterpiece. It only took a minute, before she was interrupted by a knock on the door. With a moan and a slap of her book closing, she marched off to the door and opened it.  
  
Before her stood a dark haired man and woman. At her feet stood a short, and young fox demon with a rather bushy tail and full hair of thick hair. The man bowed, "Ah! Good afternoon, Mademoiselle! Welcome to Paris! I am Miroku and these are my partners, Sango and Shippo. We could help but notice that you are new to the area?"  
  
Kagome leaned against the jamb of her door, "Yes! I just came in from Tokyo."  
  
Sango smiled with joy, "It is a pleasure to meet you. May we come in?"  
  
Kagome smiled and welcomed them in, "Do you live in this building?" she asked as she closed the door behind them.  
  
Miroku looked over her fabric and other objects in her quarters, with great interest. He turned to her, "You're a seamstress, non?"  
  
Kagome nodded slowly and smiled, "I've come to Paris in hopes of being discovered as a fashion designer."  
  
Shippo looked over her linens and made himself comfortable.  
  
"A seamstress?" Sango said, "Oh, Miroku! We're in luck!"  
  
Kagome watched the fox demon with great interest as to why he thought her linens were comfortable. Suddenly, Miroku took her by the arm.  
  
"Come with us for a moment would you, um..."  
  
Kagome blushed, "Oh excuse me! My name is Kagome!"  
  
Miroku nodded with pleasure and led her to a room just a step away. Here, she opened her eyes to a rather cluttered room filled with sheets of paper pinned to the wall. Hugh rolls of canvas with back rounds where carelessly placed in the corners of the room. Last, there was a bunk with two unmade beds and a pillow covered in brown pre-shed fur.  
  
Sango placed the fox demon on her shoulder and walked into the cluttered room, "Sorry for the clutter!"  
  
Kagome's jaw hung open for a moment until she shook her head back into reality, "Um! What can I help you with here?"  
  
Miroku picked up a black cane and pointed its tip at a section of paper- covered wall, "Behold, Miss Kagome! My finest work! Before your very eyes is the musical of the century. One that reflects jealousy, hate, passion, war, peace, truth, freedom, and most of all...love!"  
  
Kagome looked over the paper and read some of it over, "Wow! You write all of this?"  
  
Miroku grinned and nodded, "Oui!"  
  
"Oh will you stop it with the French accent, already?" Sango elbowed him, "WE wrote it!"  
  
Shippo nodded, "It will be famous one day, and play in theaters across the world, but there's just one problem."  
  
Kagome turned to the little fox, as he suddenly began to sob and cry, "We have no money to get costumes for the musical, or for actors and singers."  
  
Miroku shook his head, "It's true! We stand on the edge of a broken dream. Yet, with your help, Miss Kagome, we just might be able to promote your fashion ideas and in our musical. All you need do is assist us in our plan to find a hall and dancers."  
  
Kagome looked at the trio dumbfounded, "You'll help me with my fashions, and debut them in your musical?"  
  
The three of them nodded in unison, and Kagome jumped for joy, "I don't believe this! I've only been here a few minutes and I already have a job. What can I do to help?"  
  
Sango opened up a chest with an elegant black evening gown complete with ruffles of lace and straps that were to hang of the shoulder. Kagome took a hard gulp, "What's that?"  
  
"Your outfit for tonight! We're going out to meet our biggest money provider."  
  
Kagome took the dress a bit concerned for what she was about to get herself into, but a job was a job and who knew how much money she would earn making costumes and fittings for this. Opportunity was at hand and she wasn't going to push it aside.  
  
"All right then! Where do I meet you, Miroku?"  
  
He smiled, "We'll come to get you when it's time to leave. In the meantime, we hope to find your partnership well worth it, Miss Kagome."  
  
Kagome smiled and walked out the door with the dress in hand. He closed her door and placed the dress on her manikin, "Hum! It needs some fitting!"  
  
Not faraway, Miroku and his comrades were celebrating.  
  
"At last, Sango, out prayers have been answered, not to mention at the same exact time," he cheered.  
  
"Yes! Not only is the girl a seamstress, but she also looks almost exactly like the courtesan at 'Well de Rouge', The Miko Diamond, Kikyo."  
  
Shippo frowned, "Really? I thought she was much prettier than her!"  
  
Miroku ignored the little fox demon and raised a bottle of champagne, "Tonight, my friends, we go to the Well de Rouge!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Welcome! To the Well de Rouge!" said a dog demon on the stage of the grand hall. Kagome gasped and looked around her sudden and unexpected surroundings. The noise of cheers and cooing as Kagome and her newfound friends took a seat at a booth by the dance floor.  
  
She was curious as to where they had taken her still, even though she knew well that she was in a whorehouse. Kagome looked over the dog demon on the stage that was stirring up his many guests, but there were far more women it seemed than men.  
  
"Sango, who is that dog demon on stage?" Kagome leaned in to ask her.  
  
Sango ruffled her red gown and checked her eye shadow and the large feather in her hair, "That's Sesshoumaru Zidler, Miss Kagome. He is the owner of the Well de Rouge."  
  
Kagome nodded and watched as sunlight began to empty out of the hall, and as soon as the sun was gone, the show began. Sesshoumaru threw a pellet on the stage and it exploded in a puff of red smoke. The loud bang grabbed everyone's attention. Kagome almost jumped out of her black dress as she watched Sesshoumaru appear from the smoke once more.  
  
"Ladies...and gentlemen! I give you..."  
  
His voice droned and echoed through the hall, and Kagome watched with interest, and she soon found her heart pounding with excitement.  
  
"The Diamond Dogs!"  
  
(Because we Can Can Can! Yes we Can Can Can!)  
  
Lights burst into full luminance in that instant as Sesshoumaru cackled into the room. The music burst as the girls in their ruffled gowns came running out of all the side doors in the hall. They were screaming and laughing and cooing as they ran by all the gentlemen. Next, came men in their tuxes and top hats. Each of them grabbed a lady or a man to dance with them, and try to make them respond to them when they whined and bustled.  
  
Kagome soon found herself not quite felling well. Her head pounded and she felt dizzy just watching all of the dancing. She felt like someone had hit her across the head hard, and that she could be dying. She remained in the booth, even though Miroku jumped into the crowd of girls and let them gawk at him and swoon (Now does that sound like him or what?)  
  
Then, the music stopped and Sango grabbed hold of Kagome's arm, "Look, Kagome! The Miko Diamond!"  
  
Kagome opened her eyes to a girl with long black hair in a silvery dress suspended in a swing above the dance floor. Her top hat shadowed half of her face, and her black-gloved hands twisted around the ropes of the swing.  
  
Everyone was silent and some awed in amazement silently or gasped from their booths. The girls began to retreat to their seats and pout, but all of the men gathered beneath the suspended swing that held the 'Miko Diamond'.  
  
"The French are glad to die for Love...They delight in fighting duels...But I prefer a man who lives and gives expensive jewels"  
  
(A kiss on the hand may be quite continental  
  
But Diamonds are a girl's best friend  
  
A kiss may be grand but it...  
  
Won't pay the rental on your humble flats  
  
Or help you feed your cats!  
  
Men grow cold, as  
  
Girls grow old  
  
And we all loose our charms in the end  
  
But spare cut or pear shaped  
  
These rocks don't loose their shape  
  
Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend!)  
  
"Tiffanies!"  
  
"Cartier!"  
  
('Cause we living in a material world,  
  
And I am a Material Girl!)  
  
"Come and get me Boys!"  
  
Behind stage, a gigolo with silvery locks and dog like ears met up with his brother and boss, Sesshoumaru. His brother fixed his outfit up and brushed him up. Kaede, who was in charge of make up and curing some small illnesses in the group, came to apply heavy amounts of black eye make up to the gigolo's eyes to make them stand out more in the light, but also to make him far more easier for the ladies to find.  
  
"You're going to be on next after a dance break, so keep your cool! We have a lot of women out tonight."  
  
The gigolo nodded and loosened his tension by shaking his muscles freely in the air, "I'm ready!"  
  
"Good, Inu-yasha! Now wait until Kikyo is in left stage and out before making your opening move."  
  
Inu-yasha groaned, "Hey, Sesshoumaru! I've been doing this for like, oh how long?"  
  
The dog demon grumbled, "Just stay in line and meet me at right stage!"  
  
"Got it!"  
  
Inu-yasha loosened his body up on last time, and brushed out the white tux with no shirt but a simple white tie (Woo! He's got to be a bit chilly, huh?).  
  
Kikyo, also known as the Miko Diamond, began to end her number, and disappeared momentarily into a trap door in the ceiling, singing her last line "Diamonds are a Girls Best...Friend!"  
  
Kagome watched and got to her feet to see the Miko Diamond disappear into the darkness, and before she knew it, she was swept up by a demon gigolo and lost in the crowd of dancers. She soon found that she couldn't get back, and that the crowd pushed her to the front of the right stage and she remained there where she was safe from the crowd.  
  
Then, the music ceased once more and all of the lights went out in the hall, many gasped and all that could be heard were breathless women and men. Kagome could hear her own breath and she whispered under her breath, "I should have never come here!"  
  
Then, as the last word brushed against Kagome's soft red lips, a spotlight turned on and hard music began to play.  
  
Suddenly a trap door opened from beneath the stage, and a dog demon with long silver locks appeared before Kagome's eye. He turned around and grinned as he opened up his tux to show of his chest to the women in the dance hall. As if on cue, every woman within a five hundred foot radius swooned and gasped.  
  
Kagome looked at the gigolo in white with his chest bared and gasped in awe. She couldn't help but admit to herself that he was indeed handsome.  
  
Then, from the corner of the dance floor she heard a large woman whispered, "That's Inu-yasha, The Half Karat Diamond! They call him that because he's half human and half dog demon. He's the most prized gigolo in Sesshoumaru's whole house. He's top dollar! Fifty francs per-minute, darling. I'm telling you, one night with him and you'll wish you had more money to make him stay."  
  
Her friend giggled, "Well, he is a dog too, is he not? He'd 'stay' if you commanded him too."  
  
Kagome snorted, and couldn't believe that the prized gigolo was a mere half- breed, a handsome and strong half-breed. Yet this did not revolutionize her, nor was she impressed. Looks after all can be deceiving!  
  
Inu-yasha tap-danced for a moment on center stage, and while he did Sesshoumaru jumped onto the right stage. Kagome ducked, and prayed that she wouldn't be seen.  
  
Inu-yasha stopped his dance and bowed before letting out a loud cry, "Sesshoumaru! The Diamond Dogs are getting a bit antsy, don't you agree?"  
  
The dog demon trotted over to his prized gigolo and rested on his cane. "I'm not sure, Inu-yasha! Perhaps if they were to tell me?"  
  
Kagome watched the girls around her as the Diamond Dogs began to appear and sing.  
  
(Voulez-vous coucher avec moi  
  
Ce soir?)  
  
Inu-yasha looked at his Master from the corner of his eye. *Hey sister, go sister, soul sister, flow sister *  
  
Suddenly all of the ladies cried out at once, "Hey!"  
  
(Sesshoumaru = ^, Inu-yasha = *, Diamond Dogs = $, Crowd = () )  
  
^If work's an awful bore and living's just a chore^  
  
$Hey sister, go sister, soul sister, flow sister$  
  
Inu-yasha leaned up against the side of the stage. *What to do? Cause death's not much fun! *  
  
$Hey sister, go sister, soul sister, flow sister$  
  
Sesshoumaru spun around and pointed to the gigolo. ^I've got just the antidote, and though I mustn't gloat^  
  
$Gitchie, gitchie, ya ya da da$  
  
Inu-yasha stood up and plucked a rose from behind stage and let it's petals tickle his sensitive nose. *At the Well de Rouge you'll have a lot of fun! *  
  
$Gitchie, gitchie, ya ya here$  
  
Sesshoumaru opened his arms to his audience. ^So scratch that little niggle  
  
Have a little wiggle^  
  
$Gitchie, gitchie, ya ya da da$  
  
Inu-yasha threw his rose out into the crowd next and it landed in Kagome's lap. She quickly hid it before any of the women attacked her. Slowly he began to walk away, not even really taking a really good look at her. *Creole Lady Marmalade! *  
  
Sesshoumaru had a spotlight appear on him as Inu-yasha made his way up a spiral staircase to the overlooking balcony. Sesshoumaru held out his hand to the crowd on the floor. ^Cause you can, can, can! ^  
  
(Yes, you can, can, can!)  
  
Inu-yasha leaned over the balcony rail to tease the ladies in the crowd below. *Or you can't, can't, can't! *  
  
(Yes, you can, can, can!)  
  
Inu-yasha put his back to the rail and leaned over, and made his voice slightly strained and airy as though he were in the mood. *Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir? *  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes and shook her head, but doubled back to watch him a moment longer.  
  
(Here we go now, entertain us!  
  
We feel stupid and contagious)  
  
^Got some dark desire? ^  
  
*Love to play with fire? *  
  
^Why not let a rip? ^  
  
*Live a little bit! *  
  
(Here we go now, entertain us!)  
  
^Cause you can, can, can! ^  
  
(Here we go now, entertain us!)  
  
*Or you can't, can't, can't! *  
  
$Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir? $  
  
Meanwhile, Kikyo was in her dressing room getting ready for the next number, with Kaede helping her into the dress.  
  
"I'm doing it tonight, Kaede. The relationship between Inu-yasha and me is getting far to complicated for our line of work. It will only be a matter of time before he doesn't want anyone to have me. Jealousy for Inu-yasha will not only be devastating for Master Sesshoumaru, but dangerous for any of my clients."  
  
Kaede stopped work for a moment, "But the boy cares for ye, Lady Kikyo. Why do you wish to break a heart that you love as equally as he does?"  
  
Kikyo sighed, "My duty to the Well de Rouge is far greater than any boy, besides... I work for the pleasure of men, not boys."  
  
~~~~  
  
So, back on stage, Inu-yasha joined his brother as a group of fellow gigolo's encircled them for cover, and Sesshoumaru whispered to his brother as the women outside gossiped and swooned for him. Inu-yasha began to change out of his white tux as Sesshoumaru leaned in to talk to him.  
  
"Okay, so, who's on my list tonight?" Inu-yasha asked.  
  
The two brothers failed to realize that Kagome was in earshot and she was able to see them both through her cover in the darkness.  
  
Sesshoumaru took off his tux jacket and turned it inside out to reveal a white fur and he spoke firmly, "To be honest, you don't have anyone tonight."  
  
Inu-yasha groaned, "You're kidding, right? Jeez, Sess, this is a third night in a row. Don't you have any clients that demand me?"  
  
Sesshoumaru growled, and Inu-yasha held up his hands and surrendered, "All right, fine! Don't lose control here. So, what about Kikyo? What's in store for her?"  
  
Sesshoumaru grinned, "Finish your quick change, and I'll show you."  
  
Inu-yasha felt confused and finished changing into a pair of black shiny pants, matching bow tie, and tied his mane back with a ribbon, and got into his pose for his grand reentry.  
  
^Cause you can, can, can! ^  
  
$Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir? $  
  
^Outside it maybe raining, but in here it's entertaining! ^  
  
*Cause you can, can, can! *  
  
$Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir? $  
  
*Outside things maybe tragic! But in here, we feel it's magic! *  
  
(Here we go now, entertain us!  
  
We feel stupid...)  
  
^The can-can, because we can, can, can! ^  
  
$Hey sister, go sister, soul sister, flow sister! Hey sister, go sister, soul sister, flow sister! Gitchie, gitchie, ya ya da da! Gitchie, gitchie, ya ya here! $  
  
*Because you can, can, can! Yes you can, can, can! *  
  
$Gitchie, gitchie, ya ya da da! $  
  
*Creole Lady Marmalade! *  
  
Kagome looked at the rose in her hand for a moment and threw it across the dance floor to let all the gawking women stomped all over its crushed red petals.  
  
^Because you can, can, can! ^  
  
*Because you can, can, can!  
  
Miroku looked to the Diamond Dog beside him and sang (You can bump and grind!)  
  
Kagome shook her head.  
  
*Cause it's good for your mind! *  
  
^Cause you can, can, can, can, can, can, can, can, can! ^  
  
The women in the hall swooned as Inu-yasha finished his number, and Kagome decided that now was a better time than never to make her move. She pushed through the sea of women to find her booth once more. When, she made it through, one of the gigolos spied her taking a breather after making it out of the crowd of swooning and cooing women.  
  
Kagome jumped when someone grabbed her arm, and struggled to break free of his grasp.  
  
"What are you doing out on the floor?"  
  
Kagome looked at the gigolo and realized he was a wolf demon, and stuttered to ask, "W-what?"  
  
The wolf demon took her by the arm and pulled her to left stage, "You're supposed to be here!"  
  
With that he left her alone in the dark corner, and in a deep panic. Kagome didn't know what to do or how to get herself out of this situation, "Oh my gosh, what now?"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A/N; There we go guys! My first chapter in an odd attempt to make an Inu- yasha cross with Moulin Rouge, and I didn't leave with any bruises. Though, Kagome may have a few after she pulls through this.  
  
Next time; Kagome and Inu-yasha meet face to face, and while Kagome knows she's there to promote her new friends' musical, Inu-yasha believes he's face to face with Kikyo and that she's skipping her appointment with a very powerful client. That is, until Kikyo knocks on the door, not to mention Sesshoumaru and Kikyo's client.  
  
Oh boy, Kagome! What have you gotten yourself into?  
  
See you next time! Love, Rubster 


	2. The Wrong Diamond

Disclaimer; Inu-yasha is not mine! Nor is the story line to the Movie "Moulin Rouge" (boy these disclaimers give everything away)  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Well de Rouge (An Inu-yasha X Moulin Rouge Tale)  
  
Okay this is my first time doing this in chapter response thing so bare with me folks I'm giving it a go.  
  
Kailoni_seraphina: to answer your question, Kikyo and Inu-yasha both do not believe in love, as you will see in this chapter. More or less the relationship between them is due to the attraction and desires of the human (or demonic) body. She gives good loving, and he does too, and that's about it. Yet Inu-yasha shows signs of it becoming more for him, and this makes it dangerous for Kikyo and her clients.  
  
Ellwyn; Thank you for your support and kind words. I hope this fic is as promising as it was when it popped into my head.  
  
Kagome 457...whatever it was, sorry; Great Inu-yasha fan fiction! I hope you can read my other Inu-yasha story "More Demon than Human, A Prediction Sequel" it's got two lemons in it too. It's about his son and him fighting against the northern wolf demon pack, which is out to find Yagi-yasha and the power he and his love hold.  
  
Okay, off to the next chapter!  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 2 The Wrong Diamond  
  
Kagome sat in the dark for a moment shivering and wondering if she would be exposed in the spotlight before someone came to save her.  
  
Suddenly, someone pulled her aside and she found herself in Miroku's arms just as the spot light came on to expose the Miko Diamond beside her. Kagome let out a sigh of relief and almost felt faint as Miroku steadied her.  
  
Inu-yasha watched as Kikyo swayed her hips and continued singing her number.  
  
"Diamonds!  
  
Are a  
  
Girls  
  
Best  
  
...Friend!  
  
"I believe you were expecting me?"  
  
In the end she ended up extending her hand to a rather dark man with long dread lock hair. His eyes were rather chilling if you stared at them long enough. Inu-yasha seemed to feel fearful about Kikyo's safety with this one, but before he could make a move, the stage below him opened and he and Sesshoumaru landed on the pillows that broke their fall.  
  
Inu-yasha got to his feet and glared at his brother, "Who is that guy? He looks like he's been dead for a hundred years!"  
  
Sesshoumaru struck him across the face and Inu-yasha placed his hand to his cheek as he turned back to him.  
  
Sesshoumaru glared at him, "He is the Duke, Naraku, and soon to hopefully be one of best clients."  
  
He stomped off leaving Inu-yasha in the shadows for a moment be fore he ran after him.  
  
"You sure he's a duke? He looks like he's been out of office for thirty years!"  
  
Sesshoumaru growled and showed some of his demonic features to the maturing pup. His features didn't intimidate Inu-yasha; after all it was nothing new to him. The features melted away as soon as they had appeared to reveal his amber eyes from the blood red.  
  
"I know you care for the girl, but this is getting to serious between you and her. She's a human, and you're a half-breed. Understand that she works for the pleasure of other men, and you for women. Love is a figment of the imagination."  
  
"I know that! I don't believe in love and neither does she, so it doesn't matter to me. I just don't trust the guy."  
  
Sesshoumaru put one finger in the dog's face, "You better get your priorities straight, Brother. Kikyo doesn't belong to you."  
  
With that, Sesshoumaru left Inu-yasha and the half-breed snorted and let out a low growl before heading to his elaborate dressing room. It was nothing truly special, just filled with treasures he had bought with the money he earned from his clients. A wooden table was the centerpiece with a vase filled with a single rose and some baby's breath.  
  
His walls were painted dark blue and decorated with satin and silk curtains of either a lighter color or white washed. The room smelled of spice and earth. A large window was at the left of the room and opposite was a feather filled bed covered in midnight blue sheets and a white comforter.  
  
A balcony covered with long white curtains made of a mesh fabric was opposite the door, and after pouring himself a drink he took it to the balcony to over look the busy streets of France. He didn't like the fact Kikyo had a client tonight and he didn't which meant one thing, loneliness.  
  
Now, Kagome on the other hand was being pushed into the next part of Miroku and Sango's plan. Though she had no idea what she getting into since her last problem.  
  
"Now let me get this straight. You want me to go to Mr. Sesshoumaru's quarters, tell him about the musical, and then say, 'I give you, Miroku and Sango, the playwrights and, Shippo, France's youngest demon child prodigy?"  
  
Miroku nodded as he brought her to a long hallway in the back of the hall, "Yep! That's all you need to do. Now, go down this hallway, take a left, and his door should be right in front of you."  
  
He gave her a pat on her butt and she jumped at the sudden impulse, and spun around covering her rump, "Hey!"  
  
However, to her surprise the playwright was gone. Kagome groaned and stomped off down the hall and took a right only to find herself in front of two doors. Unsure of which was which, she sucked in her gut and knocked on the door to the left, and there was no answer.  
  
"Uh, perhaps he's in the other one," she whispered to herself, and knocked on the next one.  
  
Inu-yasha heard the faint tapping and walked back into his room, put on a black silk shirt and opened the door.  
  
Kagome had her back to him while she figured out what to say, and Inu-yasha arched a brow in confusion as to who this was. She turned around a gasped, "Oh! You're not, him!"  
  
Inu-yasha looked her over, 'Kikyo?' he thought to himself.  
  
"What are you doing here? Don't you have work to do with that guy?" he said, pointing in the direction of the hall.  
  
Kagome looked down and the corridor, "Oh, yes, I do, but I was wondering if I could leave a message for Sesshoumaru?"  
  
Inu-yasha looked at her awkwardly as she waited for his response, "Sure!"  
  
"Great!" She said and invited herself into his room, 'The fast I get this done the quicker I can get down to work,' she thought.  
  
She took a seat on one of his chairs and crossed her legs and folded her hands on her knees. Inu-yasha watched her as she waited for him to have a seat. He closed the door and sat down silently in the chair across from her.  
  
"So, what is it you need to tell him?"  
  
Kagome leaned forward and smiled, "Well to be honest, I'm not the one who really has something to say to him. More or less, I'm actually here to introduce them to him."  
  
Inu-yasha continued to look over 'Kikyo' as though something was wrong with her head, "Who's 'them'? More clients?"  
  
Kagome sat back for a moment in thought and shrugged her shoulders, "I guess, if that's what you call them around here?"  
  
Inu-yasha's eyes widened in shock, "It's what we've always called them."  
  
Kagome felt embarrassed and giggled, "Oh!"  
  
Inu-yasha got to his feet and put his hand above her brow, "Are you feeling alright? You're acting strange!"  
  
Kagome brushed his hand aside, "I'm fine! If anyone is acting strange it's you, with all those looks you've been giving me."  
  
Inu-yasha growled, "Me? You're the one who forgot what a client is. What the heck is up with you? You're acting like you're trying to sell me something, or someone."  
  
Kagome got to her feet, "Humph! Well, if you're not going to listen then I'll just go find this Sesshoumaru guy for myself."  
  
Inu-yasha watched as she headed for the door, and stopped her, "Wait a second! Now you're acting like you don't even know my brother?"  
  
Kagome glared at him crossed her arms, "Well, I'm sorry I wasn't born knowing every single demon and person in the world, and their relations to others."  
  
Inu-yasha growled at her and snorted in her face, "Fine be that way!"  
  
With that he opened the door and showed her the way out, but at that same exact time, another person was at his door. Kagome gasped as her hand came down, and Inu-yasha looked out and dropped his jaw.  
  
"Well, Inu-yasha if I had known you were expecting someone I would have stopped by later," she said as she entered the room.  
  
Inu-yasha looked at Kagome, and then at, "Kikyo?"  
  
"Yes!" the woman said.  
  
Inu-yasha shoved the girl out of the way, and Kagome landed on his bed. She let out an angry groan as she lifted her head.  
  
Inu-yasha came up to Kikyo who was checking over her make up in his mirror, "I have a client waiting for me so I have to be brief. I don't want to us to see each other anymore."  
  
(Well that was brief!)  
  
Inu-yasha narrowed his brow, "Huh?"  
  
Kikyo closed her handbag and turned to him, "Oh, Inu-yasha, really! You honestly think this is going to lead to anything? So we had our nights and they were great and we stayed in step, but I have my duties and you have yours, and work and pleasure don't mix."  
  
She opened the door to his room and her client was waiting for her. He grinned at Inu-yasha as Kikyo took his arm and led him down the walkway. Inu-yasha couldn't quite explain how he felt, but one thing he did feel was very alone as he closed the door and flopped down in one of the chairs. He grabbed his drink and slugged it down his throat.  
  
Kagome looked at him and then at the door as she got to her knees on his bed, "Jeez, what a bitch!"  
  
All of the sudden there was a slam of a glass on the center table, and Kagome's eyes met Inu-yasha's. She took a hard gulp.  
  
Inu-yasha got to his feet and looked at her, "Who are you?"  
  
Kagome felt scared for a moment, "Um...Kagome?"  
  
Inu-yasha walked over to her and loomed over her, "Well, Wench, if you're through with your complaining and other whatnots, I suggest you get out of my sight," he growled as he pointed to the door.  
  
Kagome looked at the door and then glared back at him, "Well, no wonder she dumped you! I'd leave you in a garbage can if I had the chance."  
  
Inu-yasha growled, "Get out!"  
  
Kagome sat down on his bed, and crossed her arms again. She turned her head and pouted, making Inu-yasha even more enraged than before. He went to open the door for her to show her out, but this time Miroku, Sango, and Shippo came rolling into his room and Miroku bowed before him, "At last we meet a pleasure...err um, oh! The Half-Karat Diamond? Miss Kagome, I said Mr. Sesshoumaru, not his brother."  
  
Kagome groaned, "Well, you also should have told me what door!"  
  
Miroku shook his head, "No matter! I'm sure you can pass on the message."  
  
Inu-yasha growled, "Hey look here, Pal! I ain't no messenger boy here, okay? So, take your wench and get the hell out of my room."  
  
Miroku seemed shocked a long with his comrades, and he turned to Kagome, "What the heck were you two up to in here while I was gone?"  
  
Inu-yasha growled, but Kagome shoved him out of the way, "I came to try and tell this weirdo about your musical, but he's obviously much more interested in that woman who just dumped him a second ago."  
  
Inu-yasha jumped up to his feet and got in her face, "I wasn't dumped, for your information!"  
  
Kagome leaned into his face, "Well, it looked an awfully a lot like that to me, Buster! I guess I didn't see the sign that said she wasn't yours."  
  
Inu-yasha growled, but couldn't continue the fight with her. Suddenly, there was another knock on the door, and it opened.  
  
Sesshoumaru came in and fixed his right glove, "Excuse me?"  
  
"WHAT?" the two of them said in unison, as they turned to look at him. Sesshoumaru jumped and looked at the both of them for a moment.  
  
Suddenly, Miroku turned to him, "Are you, Sesshoumaru?"  
  
Sesshoumaru looked at him with an odd appearance on his face, "Yes?" he said rather unsteadily.  
  
It only to a moment for the entire trio to start bickering and for the noise the three of them created to get far to over whelming for Inu-yasha's ears. So, without really being noticed he grabbed hold of his coat and left the trio with his brother. The only one who took notice of his exit was Kagome, who left not too soon after so that Miroku could explain his musical to Sesshoumaru. After all, all she was needed for now was to get the costumes arranged and designed. She was a seamstress, and at least this part of the job was over.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The three actors went to a busy night bar not far from the hotel they were staying out and got themselves a drink. Sesshoumaru rejected their musical by easily saying, "What do I look like a producer? I run a whorehouse not a theater."  
  
Miroku had only had one small shot and Sango had a glass of wine while Shippo munched on the bowl of pretzels.  
  
"Well, team, we've been rejected yet again, but have no fear. Hopefully someone is looking out for us up there...somewhere!"  
  
Shippo sniffled and whipped his nose on his sleeve, "Poor Kagome! She looked so excited about making the costumes for the play too."  
  
Sango nodded, "Poor girl! She has such high hopes. Things would have gone so much better if she hadn't met that half-breed, Inu-yasha."  
  
Miroku grunted, "True! Things would have gone much better if he wasn't such a drunk jerk!"  
  
Suddenly, there was the sound of a glass breaking and two men were in the middle of a brawl until the bartender broke it up. Miroku and his followers recognized one of them as Inu-yasha who was indeed, very drunk.  
  
Miroku got to his feet and said under his breath, "I stand correct!"  
  
Inu-yasha was pushed to the floor where he met Miroku's feet, and looked up as the man bent down to him, "Well, well, so we meet again, Mr. Inu-yasha!"  
  
Inu-yasha got to his feel very sloppily and tried to keep his balance, "You again! I *hic* dout I towl vew to get out!"  
  
Miroku smiled, "Dear Friend, I think you've had a bit too much to drink."  
  
Inu-yasha started to laugh suddenly and leaned up against Miroku's shoulder, "You know, what?" he said as he steadied himself on his feet again and pointed his finger at him, "You think you're so 'mart I'd bet cha dinnow I vwas drunk, but only a whittle bit."  
  
Just as he said that, Inu-yasha collapsed into Miroku's arms and mumbled for a moment.  
  
Miroku and Sango really didn't know what to do for they couldn't go back to the Well de Rouge, so they decided to go with the next best idea. Sango cradled Shippo to bed while Miroku dragged the drunk Inu-yasha into the room, but Sango stopped him.  
  
"No, not while Shippo and I are in this room will you bring him in here. Take him to another room, just keep him away from me."  
  
With that she slammed the door, and Miroku found himself shut out for the night with a drunk slung over his shoulders. So, he went to the next best place and knocked on Kagome's door instead.  
  
Kagome luckily was still awake and moderately dressed in her white under corset and her three petticoats. She opened the door and gasped, "Miroku?"  
  
He walked in and looked at her, "Found him at the night bar across the road. Sango and Shippo don't want him in there so I thought I'd come here. I'll watch him if you just give him a place to rest."  
  
Kagome looked at the tired drunk, and recognized him as the half-demon that she had gotten into a fight with that same night, but her heart felt for the both of them.  
  
Kagome sighed, "Put him on the bed."  
  
Miroku laid the intoxicated Inu-yasha on his side and pulled up one of the chairs in the room, "Thank you, Miss Kagome! We didn't know what to do with him after his brother kicked us out of the Well de Rouge."  
  
Kagome shot a look at him, "You mean, you didn't get it?"  
  
Miroku shook his head slowly, and looked at the floor as he pulled his hat over his eyes, "We'll just leave this all to yesterday, Kagome. That's all we can do!"  
  
Kagome felt heart broken for Miroku and sighed as she tucked a pillow under Inu-yasha's head. She looked at him as she sat down beside him. Kagome looked at him as he slipped into a dreamless sleep, and smiled.  
  
"You know, he almost looks harmless when he's asleep," she said as she brushed his silver locks away from his face. She turned away from him and went to the padded chair by her window to look out at the moon.  
  
It only took a few minutes for all of them to fall asleep, but Kagome had always been a girl who awoke before dawn every morning no matter what time she went to bed the night before.  
  
So, just before sunrise Kagome awoke to an indigo and purplish pink sky. She smiled at her two inactive roommates and got to her feet to go out to her crate filled balcony to watch the sun come up. Kagome frowned suddenly, and looked up to the sky. Then grabbed her sketchbook and sat on the crates.  
  
Inu-yasha awoke, but continued to doze for a moment until something made him open his eyes again. It was the sound of Kagome's voice, but she wasn't talking to herself, but rather singing softly in a warm girlish voice. He had almost mistaken it for Kikyo's for it sounded so much like hers, but pure and soft. He listened to her sweet sad lullaby.  
  
"I follow the night,  
  
Can't stand the light.  
  
When will I begin,  
  
To live again?  
  
One day I'll fly away,  
  
Leave all this to yesterday.  
  
What more could your love do for me?  
  
When will love be through with me?  
  
Why live life from dream to dream,  
  
And dread the day  
  
When dreaming ends?"  
  
Inu-yasha watched her as she sang this sad song, only to look up at the sky again, and look to the roof of the hotel. She turned to the crates, and began to climb them so she could get on top of the roof.  
  
He wanted to hear more and looked at the man in the seat beside him and around the hotel room at all of Kagome's supplies and rolls of cloth before walking softly over to the balcony doorway to listen to the rest of Kagome's sad song.  
  
"One day I'll fly away,  
  
Leave all this to yesterday.  
  
Why live life from dream to dream,  
  
And dread the day  
  
When dreaming ends?  
  
One day I'll fly away!  
  
Fly, fly away!"  
  
Kagome sat down on the roof and watched the sun come up, but Inu-yasha ducked away from the sun and slipped out the door without a soul knowing he was gone. He closed the door and looked up at the roof as he left the hotel, and wondered why she sang such a sad song that morning.  
  
'Such a beautiful voice, almost like Kikyo's, but so much warmer,' he thought to himself. Yet the thought left him soon enough, and he walked home in the cities morning dew to the Well de Rouge.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A/N: Well, there you go folks! Chapter 2 was certainly a stone setter for the rest of the story. Now you're probably wondering "Hey hold on a second here? You said that they were going to do the musical!"  
  
Oh, and they will, you just have to wait and see how that all works out though...now won't you?  
  
See you next time when Kagome suddenly gets a call from the Well de Rouge to fix one of the dresses belonging to Kikyo who has another 'appointment' with the duke, Naraku. Happy to find that she suddenly has a chance to make some money, but who would have recommended her to come and fix it? Maybe, Inu-yasha, but how can she be sure?  
  
Also, a huge life-changing event is about to come around for Miroku and the rest of the gang, so stay tuned, and I'll see you later.  
  
Love, Rubster 


	3. Kagome's Call and Kikyo's Telegram

Disclaimer; Inu-yasha is not mine! Nor is the story line to the Movie "Moulin Rouge" (boy these disclaimers give everything away)  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Well de Rouge (An Inu-yasha X Moulin Rouge Tale)  
  
Okay Kagome 45765! No need to cause a scene! Besides, this is a really, really long one so sit back and enjoy. (You'll like this one, Hun! Trust me!)  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 3; Kagome's Call and Kikyo's Telegram  
  
Inu-yasha walked in rather dazed in a hang over, but very sober for one who crashed the night in the room of the girl whom he had mistaken for the woman who 'dumped' him. He had never lost a verbal fight with a girl before, and somehow this one had one him over for the first time in his life.  
  
The living corridor was filled with all his fellow prostitutes, both male and female. Most of the humans sipped their first cup of coffee, while most of the demons drank their cups of other odd juices. Inu-yasha's tastes did not care much for demonic food and drink. His interests were in soups, anything with chocolate, and almost any type of tea, preferably hot in the morning. Then their was his drink of solitude, which all had grown to be familiar with all ready.  
  
So, as Inu-yasha walked through the corridor he came to pass the three wolf demons. One was a male while the other two were females. The females were of no concern to Inu-yasha, yet the alpha was of far more annoyance.  
  
"Ah! Inu-yasha, good to see you home safe and sober," he teased.  
  
Inu-yasha let out a soft tired growl, "Don't start with me, Kouga. It's been a long night."  
  
Kouga watched the half-breed not heed to stop and fight with him. Yet, the wolf had no trouble in pushing all of the gigolo's buttons. His persistence continued, "Long night, hey? What you do, meet the one you've dreamed about everyday? The one who'd actually still be there in the morning?"  
  
Inu-yasha growled, "Lay off!"  
  
The wolf snickered, "You say you don't believe in love, and yet you dream of it at night. Let me guess? She's got long fangs and seductive hips, and when you least expect it, she bites you?"  
  
Inu-yasha roared and pinned to wolf to the wall, and then let out a threatening growl to ward him off. His eyes glowed red as he loosened his grip, and eventually they returned to normal. The half-breed let him go and snorted, "I'm warning you, Wolf! I have a hang over the size of this freaking city, and I'm not willing to get a bigger headache because of you."  
  
With that, Inu-yasha shoved him and stomped off back to his room, slamming the door behind him. Kouga fixed his shirt and sneered at the door, "Humph! Stupid half-breed!"  
  
Inu-yasha didn't hear this as he flopped down in his seat and rested his head on the arm of the comfy chair. He looked out his window to see the hotel he had stayed the night in that girl's room. What was her name? He couldn't remember, and though he wished his mind didn't keep wishing it did, he couldn't stop thinking about her song.  
  
Somehow he could picture everything in his life through the lyrics of the song. The wolf was right in some way. Inu-yasha could deal with waking up the next morning and being the only one in an inn's bed, and finding money on the dresser, nightstand, or in his clawed hand. Just one thing always seemed to hit him in the morning, and it was his solitude. Yet, he could always remind himself that he had the next night, a place to come home to, his brother...Kikyo. This thing about love had become an excuse, a lie to not be alone. Love couldn't cure loneliness, as far he was concerned. It would just leave you wanting more of something that was never real.  
  
He was about to wanted back into a dreamless sleep again, when there was a knock on the door. He groaned as he got to his feet, lumbered up to the door and flopped up against the door. He raised a brow as he beheld his brother in panic.  
  
"Ses?"  
  
"We're in trouble!"  
  
Inu-yasha narrowed his brow ad his face pressed into the door, "What is it now?"  
  
Sesshoumaru patted his cheeks to wake him up a bit more and entered the room as Inu-yasha closed the door. His brother fixed his hat and suit in the mirror and spoke rather fast, "Kikyo's dress for today has a large tear in it, and it's the one the duke gave her last night to wear later to day. It needs repairing and I can't take it to the tailor across the city today."  
  
Inu-yasha flopped down in his chair again with a glass of whiskey and stared at his brother, "So what do I have to do with all of that?"  
  
Sesshoumaru looked at him and whipped the glass out of his hand, "Don't you think you've gotten drunk enough for one night?"  
  
Inu-yasha's eyes opened, "Who told you?"  
  
"Oh please, no one had to tell me. I could tell when you roar echoed through the hall."  
  
Inu-yasha watched him as he emptied the glass outside the window and slammed it on the center table, "Lay off the drinks for today, you have a client tonight and I don't want you smelling like one."  
  
Inu-yasha got to his feet and looked out the window, "The girl!"  
  
Sesshoumaru sighed and looked at him, "What about her?"  
  
Inu-yasha struggled to think, "The girl in that hotel! The one that was hear last night with the playwrights! She's a seamstress, and she can do the work on Kikyo's dress."  
  
Sesshoumaru looked out the window, "Did she tell you her ling of work?"  
  
Inu-yasha scratched his head, "I don't remember, but I crashed their last night and I remember all the cloth and sewing kits in her room when I woke up. She can fix the dress."  
  
Now, both brothers were not quite sure why Inu-yasha had thought of the girl coming back to the Well de Rouge, but Sesshoumaru shrugged it off and thought it was best and she was close enough.  
  
It only took a moment for Sesshoumaru to call the hotel, "Salute?"  
  
Sesshoumaru spoke in her foreign tough to the manager and was soon connected to the 'young seamstress on the top floor'.  
  
Kagome ran to her phone and picked it up, "Hello?"  
  
Sesshoumaru cleared his throat, "Uh! Is this the young seamstress whom opened her hospitality to my brother, Inu-yasha the other night?"  
  
Kagome arched her brow and took her phone into hand as she sat on her bed, "Yes?"  
  
Sesshoumaru spoke clearly again, "Ah, well, um, Miss...Miss--"  
  
"Kagome!" she corrected him.  
  
"Ah! Miss Kaggomen," he said incorrectly, making Kagome feel like she was talking to a total idiot, "I have received word that you are a local seamstress from sources and wish to offer you a job if you don't mind."  
  
Kagome gasped and put the phone down as she got to her feet, "Yes, what can I do for you, Sir?"  
  
"Well, it's nothing really. Miss Kikyo seems to have torn a dress that was a gift given to her not long ago, and I was wondering if you'd be kind enough to repair it."  
  
Kagome ran her fingers through her hair, "Um, of course! I, um, I work at a rate--"  
  
"Oh, well that won't be a problem. I'll pay you for...oh say two."  
  
Kagome's jaw opened, "Um, Sir! I'm not really sure you understand how much it cost to have a dress repaired these days."  
  
Sesshoumaru snorted, "Oh, well, I was sure it was still two hundred the last time I checked with my tailor up north."  
  
Kagome gasped, "Two hundred?"  
  
Sesshoumaru gave the phone a weird look, "Yes?"  
  
Kagome looked at her sewing kit and then back at her phone, "What time should I come over?"  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Kikyo sat in her under garments as Kagome sewed her dress on a stool in the daylight. Kikyo was busy looking herself over in the mirror when she turned to look at Kagome. Kagome was completely focused on her stitching, and didn't seem to be very social.  
  
Kikyo turned to the mirror, "I can see why he likes you."  
  
Kagome picked her head up, "Whom?"  
  
Kikyo laughed, "Oh, please isn't it obvious? You look almost exactly like me. The only difference is that you're still a girl."  
  
"I'm sixteen! Last time I checked that was close to being a woman."  
  
Kikyo shook her head, "Honey, let me tell you something. There are two kinds of females out there, okay? Women and girls! The difference is that girls dream of the perfect man and spend their whole life looking for him, and by the time they do, he's either no longer interested or is having an affair. Girls dream of love, but women know that love is not real. Women don't have to worry about men leaving them, because there are plenty more of them in the end. So, it never really matters. They're all after one thing, and nothing more, and as soon as they're sick of you, you're gone."  
  
Kagome found this philosophy on her life rather rude and harsh, and did not believe it. Anyhow she had finished the dress, and held it up for her to see, "Finished!"  
  
Kikyo looked it over, "Not bad!"  
  
The courtesan grabbed a small roll of paper francs and placed them in Kagome's hand, "Here's the amount Master Sesshoumaru offered."  
  
Kagome took the money as Kikyo went to put the dress on and call Kaede to come and help her lace it up. Kagome left silently after the old woman had arrived. She picked up her sewing kit and began to leave the corridor, but soon forgot her way and ended up by the stage where a few of the male dancers were fixing the curtains.  
  
Kagome walked out to the stage and wandered it a bit as she looked it over. The wood had lost some of its shine from the night before, and looked rather dull. Kagome placed her sewing kit down and tried to impersonate Kikyo by walking rather over sultry and pouting her face.  
  
"Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend, because women do not believe is love."  
  
Kagome started to giggle to herself, and walked up to the edge of the stage, "The Miko Diamond, woman of the night."  
  
She said this rather dramatic, and put the back of her hand to her forehead to fake being an actress. She found pleasure in this foolish little game, but Kagome felt no shame in it.  
  
Kagome looked down at the dance floor, "A dance with me? I don't dance with boys."  
  
Kagome giggled and turned around to go and get her sewing kit when she came face to face with the last person she would have wished to bump into while at the Well de Rouge. Kagome gasped in surprise and blushed.  
  
Inu-yasha stood before her with his amber eyes directed straight at her. Kagome looked frightened for a moment before realizing who it was. Kagome's brown narrowed and he groaned, "What do you doing here?"  
  
Inu-yasha looked her over, "More to the point, what are you doing here?"  
  
Kagome glared at him, "Humph!" she pouted and pushed him aside as she went to pick up her sewing kit, "I only came to fix Miss Kikyo's dress for this afternoon."  
  
Inu-yasha crossed his arms, "Really? So, let me guess? You just happened to find your way here so you could make a fool of yourself on an empty stage?"  
  
Kagome turned up her nose, but Inu-yasha approached her, "I believe you owe me something."  
  
Kagome glowered at him, "Like what?"  
  
Inu-yasha growled, "Oh, gee, I don't know! Maybe a nice, 'Thank you, Inu- yasha for recommending me to your brother so I could find a job'? At least that would be better than standing here looking like an idiot on my stage."  
  
Kagome stomped her foot and brought her fist and arms down at her sides, "Who said I needed your help to find a job around here? I don't need a drunken gigolo finding a job for me. Besides you should be the one thanking me for giving you a place to stay last night."  
  
Inu-yasha snarled, "Me? I got you this job, what more do you want from me?"  
  
Kagome shoved him aside and stomped up to the door.  
  
"Okay fine! Thank you!" Inu-yasha called out.  
  
Kagome opened the door and gave him a dirty look, "No, thank you!"  
  
Inu-yasha snorted and leaned over the stage, "You're welcome!"  
  
Kagome stepped outside the door and yelled one last time, "No! You're Welcome!"  
  
With that she slammed the door and left Inu-yasha throwing a tempter- tantrum on stage. He turned around and saw that the men working on the curtain were staring at him. The half-breed glared at them, and yelled, "What are you looking at?"  
  
The men gasped and quickly returned to their jobs before Inu-yasha got anymore angrier than he all ready was.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Later that night, Sesshoumaru had returned from his trip and was dressed for bed in his robe reading over a yellow slip of paper in Inu-yasha's room. He was smoking a pipe rather leisurely, which usually meant one thing, trouble.  
  
Inu-yasha walked in rather casually with a roll of money from his female client and threw his jacket on his bed. He counted two thousand francs and placed the money in his pocket as he found his brother in his most comfortable chair, smoking in his robe and sleepwear.  
  
Inu-yasha sat down on his dresser with his back to the mirror. He watched as his brother made small clouds of gray smoke with his pipe and waited until he spoke.  
  
Sesshoumaru looked up as he removed his pipe before speaking, "How was it tonight?"  
  
Inu-yasha smiled, "Ah, you know! Married woman have the best experience in the art of these things. Not to mention, they know how to spend their rich husband's money."  
  
Sesshoumaru placed his pipe back in his mouth and groaned, "Well get used to it, because you'll be working over time for awhile."  
  
Inu-yasha narrowed his brow in confusion and hopped off his dresser and came to his brother's side. Sesshoumaru got to his feet and handed him the slip of yellow paper, "It's a telegram...from Kikyo."  
  
Inu-yasha opened the slip of paper and read it over a few times, "She's gone to her aunt's home in Burgundy. Due to what?"  
  
"Illness, she's been stricken ill with some sort of disease in the liver. She wants to be able to support her until it's time for her passing."  
  
Inu-yasha looked at his brother, "When did you get this?"  
  
Sesshoumaru looked at the grandfather clock on Inu-yasha's wall, "It came in ten minutes before you came back."  
  
Inu-yasha looked over the telegram, "We have to call her double in from the west and get the record ready."  
  
Sesshoumaru watched his brother head for the door, "We can't!" he said suddenly.  
  
Inu-yasha turned around, and Sesshoumaru continued as he leaned on the chair he was previously sitting in. He lit his pipe again and spoke slowly, "I called Dominique, and she's on leave for maternity, and the record has gone missing. However, it's useless without a stand in."  
  
Inu-yasha closed his door, and walked up to his brother and collapsed in his chair and smoothed his hand over his face. He couldn't believe what he was hearing and asked his final question, "What do we do then?"  
  
Sesshoumaru looked out the balcony and leaned over the rail and let a large puff of smoke out of his mouth, "We audition every showgirl in the city to see if she can sing, dance, and act like Kikyo."  
  
Inu-yasha nodded, "But what about the clients?"  
  
Sesshoumaru sighed and turned back to the streets of Paris, "That's why we need to make sure we are completely accurate in who we choose to substitute for Kikyo. If she cannot be serviced for the pleasure of Kikyo's clients, you will have to work days until Kikyo returns. As for Kikyo's clients, we will have to tell them that she has another infection that needs to cure over time before she can be out again."  
  
Inu-yasha slumped down in his chair, and looked up at the ceiling before speaking again, "Alright! When do we start?"  
  
Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and opened them again slowly as he looked at the moon, "Tomorrow morning, at eight o'clock sharp and we need have one by five so we can teach her everything we know. No excuses, Inu-yasha. We need perfection!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The next day, Kagome was called in to fix a few of the dresses for the prostitutes and other female dancers. Her work consisted of pinning and stitching, pinning and stitching, pinning and stitching, and so on. Though one thing remained and it was the fact that she could make money here and that mattered due to the fact that her six hundred francs were less than well, six hundred.  
  
So far the tally lead up to a good three thousand dollars, not counting the tips some of the girls had given her. Her bonding with some of the girls seemed to make her feel more like she was part of the family, not to mention the tiny helper she had brought with her. Shippo of course was in an urgent need to get away from Sango and Miroku, who were fighting about their next plan.  
  
Though, Shippo's presence came at a price as well. So, while Kagome sewed and pinned dresses and other forms of clothing, she made him do some simple shoe shinning for all of the gigolos. He had finished his tenth pair and whipped his little forehead before handing them to Kouga, "Here you are sir!"  
  
Kouga looked over his shoes and smiled at the fox pup, "Not bad, kid!"  
  
With that said, the wolf demon reached into his pocket to give the fox a shine gold coin, "Good work!"  
  
Shippo took the coin and admired it for a moment before rushing to Kagome's shoulder, "Kagome! Kagome, look! Look! I made a tip! I made a tip!"  
  
Kagome looked at the gold coin and smiled at him as she patted him on the head, "Good job, Shippo! I'm very proud of you!"  
  
The tiny fox smiled and hopped back to his station to shine more shoes. Kagome shook her head as the tiny fox demon tried to shine the shoes better and work harder for another tip. Though the coin wasn't much, it would still be could enough to buy a candy bar or something later.  
  
Kagome returned to her sewing and turned to look at the stage as the auditions. This girl was thin and rather beautiful, but her voice was far too bright and loud. The next one was far too large, and her voice was too deep. Pretty much every woman or girl who auditioned didn't seem to fit this certain part that Sesshoumaru was looking for, and it made Kagome wonder what the audition was for.  
  
Shippo was out of breath soon and came to Kagome's side, "I need a nap!"  
  
Kagome smiled and snuggled the tiny fox in her jacket and continued to sew when she over heard a conversation off stage. One of these voices she recognized as Inu-yasha's and the other being a French gigolo.  
  
"Zere iz non more, Inuz-yazha! Zey aver all auditioned!"  
  
Inu-yasha paced for a moment and stroked his chin, "None! Not one sounds or looks like her."  
  
With that Inu-yasha left back stage and went out to the dance floor where all of the gigolos and ladies were with Kaede and Master Sesshoumaru. Inu- yasha took a seat beside his brother on a high stool and sighed, "That's all of them, Marc says. Looks like were outta luck for Tuesday Night."  
  
Then one of the girls looked at him, "Tuesday?"  
  
Sesshoumaru nodded, "Yes, for Monday is a Christian Holiday, and I'm not interested in small crowds on such holidays."  
  
Inu-yasha looked at the floor and thought, "What now?"  
  
The dog demon took a look at his clipboard of stats and reviewed them with his gigolos and ladies. While all of them bickered, Kagome peeked through the curtain and shook her head as Shippo crawled up on her shoulder.  
  
"What are they talking about?" Shippo asked, but Kagome closed the curtain.  
  
"It's none of our business, Shippo. Besides whatever it is they're talking about I'm sure they'll figure it out."  
  
Yet Shippo's curiosity got the best of him and he scurried out to the side of the stage. He watched as Sesshoumaru refused and fussed as the girls giggled and gossiped. Each gigolo made his own conversation about each woman that tried out, and whether or not that one was attractive.  
  
Suddenly, the stage crew closed the curtains and Shippo tried to keep up with the open part of the curtain until Kagome tackled him and dragged him off stage, "Come on! We've still got work to do!"  
  
However, Kagome's capture didn't go unnoticed, for through the noise, his dog-ears captured the sound of Kagome's voice. He watched as the girl disappeared behind the closing curtain with the fox on her shoulder. It was at that moment he remembered the night before in its entirety, and he got to his feet to head back to back stage.  
  
Shippo sighed and began to rub a spot on one of the shoes, and Kagome continued to pin a red dress, thus causing them to both to not notice that Inu-yasha was approaching them. The half-breed walked up on stage and took a seat on the stage high rise.  
  
(I should have explained this earlier, but the stage is made of four major steps, each about a foot high until the next on up. In other words the highest is four feet, then down to 3, to 2, to 1, and then stage level.)  
  
He looked at Kagome's work before she gasped and realized his presence. Inu-yasha sat up and looked her over, "Hum!"  
  
Kagome looked around her and then back at him, "If you're looking to eat me, I'm warning you I won't go without a fight."  
  
Inu-yasha glowered at her, "Well, one thing is right, you can't act like her."  
  
Kagome arched her brow, feeling lost, "Like who?"  
  
He looked her over again, "Yet you look like her, and you have a similar scent."  
  
Kagome growled, "Who?"  
  
Inu-yasha snorted, "Naw! What was I thinking?"  
  
Kagome finally got to her feet and grabbed the half-breed gigolo by the collar, "Okay, last time, Fur ball! Who or and what are you talking about?"  
  
Inu-yasha grabbed her wrists to remove them from his white dress shirt's collar, "I was just wondering if you could audition for Kikyo's double."  
  
Kagome gave him a weird look for a moment, and then burst out laughing as she sat back down to pick up the dress she was working on. Yet, Inu- yasha's persistence continued and he nagged on about her trying out.  
  
"Why not?" he whined,  
  
Kagome looked up at him with a slight awkwardness, "You're serious, aren't you?"  
  
Inu-yasha rolled his eyes and crossed his arms waiting her response to his proposal, but Kagome was not easily amused, "No!"  
  
Inu-yasha grunted, but Kagome continued to ignore him. He pulled the dress from her hands and caught her attention again as she glared at him, "Look! I'm sorry for they way I treated you the past few days, but this important to us."  
  
"Important? What do I look like, a actress?"  
  
"No, but you could've fooled me if you learned to be one."  
  
Kagome grunted, but before she could say anything, a man in the light fixtures called out to her, "Miss, we have a tear here in the curtain. Do you suppose you could fix it up before you go?"  
  
Kagome got to her feet, "Sure, I'll handle that right about now I think!" she said giving Inu-yasha a dirty look before heading over to the corner of the stage to grab a latter. Inu-yasha followed her and helped her carry the latter without asking her if she needed the assistance.  
  
Kagome continued, "Alright, say I did try out! I wouldn't make it, I guarantee it!"  
  
Inu-yasha helped her to set up the latter and spotted her as she began to climb, "Why?"  
  
Kagome sighed heavily and paused halfway up the latter, "Well, let's start with the basics, shall we? Let me see! I can't act, can't dance, can't sing, can't talk like her--"  
  
Suddenly Inu-yasha interrupted her, "Whoa, hold the guarder straps! You sing beautifully, what are you talking about?"  
  
Kagome looked at him rather suspiciously, "I can't sing! Besides what would you know about my singing?"  
  
Inu-yasha looked away for a moment, until Shippo cut in, "You've been peeping haven't you? Busted!"  
  
Inu-yasha growled at the fox before looking up at Kagome again and climbing up the opposite side of the latter to where she was, "Okay fine! The night I was in your hotel room I just happened...to over hear you singing on the roof. That's how I know, and that's why I want you to try out."  
  
Kagome glared at him, "That song was not meant for you to hear, and besides, the only reason you want me to try out is because I look like Kikyo. I certainly don't sound like her."  
  
With that, Kagome continued to climb while Inu-yasha watched her try to get away from him again. He groaned and looked out at the closed curtain, "Could have fooled me!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing!" Inu-yasha cried out as he made his way up to the top where Kagome was busy pulling thread trough the eye of her needle. Inu-yasha watched as she began to stitch the rip in the curtain.  
  
"Why don't you at least try?"  
  
"No!"  
  
"What is it with you? You sing as though you love it, so why not go with it?"  
  
Kagome stuck her needle in the curtain and left it there, "Look, I don't care this business or my singing for that matter."  
  
Inu-yasha watched her as her glare faded and she returned to her work. He grinned suddenly and looked at her, "You've never been in love have you?"  
  
Kagome shot a look at him, "What's that got to do with anything?"  
  
"Well no wonder you're so cold and stiff."  
  
"I am not! I just believe that love is something that should be put on hold until a person is ready for it. My work is my first priority."  
  
Inu-yasha felt like laughing, but instead he said in a fake French accent, "Love is a many splendid thing! Love lifts us up to where we belong, all you need is love."  
  
Kagome shook her head, "Oh please!"  
  
Inu-yasha looked at her and leaned forward. He sang, "All you need is love!"  
  
Kagome glowered at him, "A girl has got to eat!" she stated.  
  
"All you need is love!" Inu-yasha repeated,  
  
"She'll end up on the street!"  
  
Inu-yasha leaned in closer and sang once more, "All you need is love!"  
  
Kagome pushed him away, and suddenly responded the way he wanted her to. Thus, she sang, "Love is just a game!"  
  
(Key; Inu-yasha = *, Kagome = ^)  
  
*I was made for loving you, baby. You were made for loving me! *  
  
^ The only way of loving me, baby is to pay you a fee! ^  
  
*Just one try? *  
  
Suddenly, she slapped him across the face, but he continued, *Just one try? *  
  
^ There's no way 'cause I can't pay! ^  
  
*In the name of love, one time in the name of love? *  
  
^You crazy fool! I won't give in to you! ^  
  
"Don't!" *Leave me this way! I can't survive without your sweet love. Oh baby! Don't leave me this way! *  
  
Kagome glared at him for a moment before grabbing her needle and sewing again, but her urge to sing had gotten to her and she continued, ^You'd think would had enough of silly love songs! ^  
  
Inu-yasha gently took the needle from her hand and looked at her, *I look around me and I see, it isn't so! Oh, no! *  
  
Kagome turned away from him, ^ Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs! ^  
  
Inu-yasha shrugged his shoulder and looked at the bottom of the stage, *Well what's wrong with that? I'd like to know! 'Cause here I go! Again! *  
  
As he sang the last note of the phrase, he grabbed hold of Kagome and slid both himself and her down the latter to the stage floor.  
  
*Love lifts us up where we belong! Where eagles fly, on a mountain high! *  
  
Kagome pulled herself free from his grip and responded, ^ Love makes us act like we are fools! Throw our lives away for one happy day? ^  
  
Just as she turned around to leave, Inu-yasha cried out another line, *We can be heroes! *  
  
Kagome spun around angrily, but he only grinned at her, * Just for one day! *  
  
Kagome stomped up to him, ^ You? You will be mean! ^  
  
Inu-yasha snorted, "No I won't!"  
  
Kagome crossed her arms, ^ And I? I'll drink all the time! ^ she lied.  
  
Kagome was about to leave him again, when Inu-yasha's voice stopped her again, *We should be lovers! *  
  
Kagome looked over her shoulder and shook her head, ^ We can't do that! ^  
  
Inu-yasha walked up to her and sang, *We should be lovers... * and placed a finger over her mouth so he could finish, *...and that's a fact! *  
  
Kagome turned around and looked at him with soft eyes, ^Though nothing will keep us together? ^  
  
*We could steel time-- *  
  
^* Just for one day! *^  
  
^* We could be heroes, forever and ever! *^  
  
^* We could be heroes, forever and ever! *^  
  
^* We could be heroes! *^  
  
*Just because I will always love... *  
  
^ I.... ^  
  
^* Can open too... *^ (not sure about that one)  
  
*You*  
  
^How wonderful life is...^  
  
^* Now you're in the world! *^  
  
Kagome suddenly found herself under some kind of spell in Inu-yasha's eyes, and failed to notice that she had been singing so clearly and beautifully the entire time.  
  
Inu-yasha grinned suddenly and turned to the curtain, and Kagome did as well. Suddenly, she found herself in front of a standing ovation of gigolos and ladies. Even Sesshoumaru's jaw hung open wide enough for her to see.  
  
Inu-yasha cleared his throat suddenly and bowed, then motioned her to do the same. Kagome looked at her audience and smiled for a moment, but regained herself for a moment, and curtsied to them.  
  
Sesshoumaru turned to Kaede, "Get those playwrights! I want to know if they will let me use their seamstress as Kikyo's stand in."  
  
Kaede nodded and left as the group continued to clap and cheer. Sesshoumaru leaned back in his chair, "By gods! A miracle in Well de Rouge! Who'd of thunk it?"  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
A/N: Okay, that's long enough I think! Enough to do harm to you all a bit before the next chapter? (Mwahahahahahaha!)  
  
Next time, Kagome finds out that she got the part without asking for it, but one problem still remains. She can't dance, and the next show is in three days. So, while Sesshoumaru is sweating beads over the fact his fake Miko Diamond can't dance, Miroku knows where she can get the best dance teacher. For who wouldn't be the best dancer and teacher but...Inu-yasha? Well, ya could have seen that one coming a mile away! (Sounds like Dirty Dancing? Yeah, it kind does, but I needed to make some kind of bonding mood and I thought this was best. Besides, Inu-yasha teaching Kagome how to dance erotically, and with a partner? Now that will be fun, don't you think?)  
  
See you next time! Love Rubster! 


	4. The Must Pass Dance Class

Disclaimer; Inu-yasha is not mine! Nor is the story line to the Movie "Moulin Rouge" (boy these disclaimers give everything away)  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Well de Rouge (An Inu-yasha X Moulin Rouge Tale)  
  
Okay Kagome 45765! No need to cause a scene! Besides, this is a really, really long one so sit back and enjoy. (You'll like this one, Hun! Trust me!)  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 4; A Must Pass Dance Class  
  
Miroku sat in Sesshoumaru's office as the dog demon lit up his pipe. The playwright looked over the room as Sesshoumaru took a seat and offered him to take one as well.  
  
"Kagome has an extraordinary gift, Miroku. I'm willing with your permission to employ her if you allow me to do so?"  
  
Miroku looked at him rather odd, "If I allow you to?"  
  
Sesshoumaru nodded, and Miroku sat back. Sure Kagome did not belong to him. She was merely the seamstress they needed to higher in order to have costumes for the...the musical.  
  
Miroku grinned, "Of course she can."  
  
Sesshoumaru clapped his hands with delight and sat up, "Wonderful! Now--"  
  
"Ah uh! Now, now dear friend, understand that this does not come without a price."  
  
Sesshoumaru held up his hands still smiling, "Of course, of course! How much do you need?"  
  
Miroku watched him as he whipped out his checkbook, but he closed the book Sesshoumaru had open, "I need a stage for my musical."  
  
Sesshoumaru looked at him and removed the pipe from his mouth, "I'm not willing to jeopardize my hall over a girl mind you, Miroku. Now girl is worth my reputation."  
  
Miroku shrugged his shoulders, "Very well! I'll just take tell Kagome that the deal is off and--"  
  
"Wait!" Sesshoumaru said getting up from his seat, "Alright! Under one condition!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"He said what?" Sango and Shippo chorused,  
  
Miroku shook his head, "Look! If we help him with shows during the night, and pull some of our weight around here, he'll allow us to do the play."  
  
"Yeah, and then what? What if Kikyo comes back before the play goes up? Kagome's gone as soon as she's back."  
  
Miroku sighed, "We can only hope, but until them we have to keep Kagome going and make sure she understands that everything depends on her now and just impersonating Kikyo for a few nights."  
  
Shippo looked out to the stage and shook his head, "Well, start packing, cause I don't think we'll have any hope with Kagome riding this whole thing on her shoulders."  
  
Sango turned to the fox, "What makes you say that?"  
  
Shippo motioned them to come over behind the curtain and he pointed out Kagome and a few of the other showgirls. Kagome couldn't keep up with them, nor could she keep a beat. She was either missing a step, or falling behind and trying to catch up. The biggest problem was Sesshoumaru's impatience as he stopped the music in order to get the girls started again.  
  
It was late in the afternoon now, and Kagome had not eaten anything since breakfast early that morning. Her stomach was killing her and her head was in a fog.  
  
Sesshoumaru turned the record off again, "Miss Kagome, what are you doing? We've gone over this part several times now, you should have it by now."  
  
Kagome brushed her hair out of her face, "Look, I didn't sign up for this job, okay? You just accepted my audition, which I didn't even know about, and made me Kikyo's stand in. I can't dance! I've told you that."  
  
Sesshoumaru sneered, "Well, you better learn quick! I've got three days to whip you into shape, and there is no time to waste due to your inexperience."  
  
Kagome took a breath and readied herself to talk back, but Sesshoumaru snorted and ordered, "From the top, ladies!"  
  
Kagome sighed and stomped back to her place on top the highest platform. One of the girls rolled her eyes and looked to her fellow dancer, "Jeez, and I thought Kikyo was difficult!"  
  
Kagome over heard this and felt her heart break. She felt worthless all at once and felt like all that she had worked for meant nothing now. Everything road on her shoulders now, and she couldn't handle the responsibilities Kikyo handled in such chorography.  
  
The music started, and Kagome started once again, but on the other hand, Inu-yasha had arrived from a client and took a seat next to his brother. He watched Kagome and stood dumbfounded as she lost her footing and fell behind once more. He turned to his brother, "She can't keep up! Why are you pushing her to the final run?"  
  
Sesshoumaru groaned, "I need a dancer by the next night show, Inu-yasha. I don't have time to start from scratch with this girl."  
  
Inu-yasha looked at Kagome as she tried to catch up and lose her footing once again, only this time she fell flat on her face at Sesshoumaru's feet. The dog demon groaned as he stopped the record, "That's it! I need a break. If I watch this any longer I'll lose my appetite."  
  
Kaede looked to her boss and called dinner. Sesshoumaru looked at Kagome as she lifted her head and gazed up at him. Sesshoumaru shook his head, "You better get this right! Or your friends will never have that musical on this stage."  
  
With that, the dog demon stomped off and left Kagome on the stage floor. She pulled herself up and sat on the first high rise. She crossed her arms and began to cry with all her misery. She took a breath and removed both of the ridiculously high-heeled dance shoes, and threw them across the room. They hit the large dancing floor with a loud clatter, but even the sound couldn't lift Kagome's broken heart.  
  
"Jeez, you really do give up too easily!" a voice suddenly said from behind her. Kagome shot up to her feet, and turned around to find the source of the familiar tone.  
  
Inu-yasha stood in the shadows of the stage and slowly walked up to her, "You know crying won't do you any good."  
  
Kagome sniffled, "Yeah? Well...who asked you *sniff? You're the one who got me into this mess."  
  
Inu-yasha snorted, "That's it! Blame it all on me! You obviously can't take the blame out on yourself alone, so why not spread the gloom?"  
  
Kagome sat back down and turned her back to him. Inu-yasha exhaled heavily and rubbed his dog-ear for a moment. He then walked down to where Kagome sat weeping and took a seat beside her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief for her to wipe her tears.  
  
"So, what's weighing you down? So, you can't dance, but you can learn?"  
  
Kagome let out a fake laugh, "Sure, you try and perform a miracle in three days before a show, not to mention your friends' musical rides on this, and your own pride as a person. I'm not just an object programmed to be Kikyo. I can only be Kagome!"  
  
Inu-yasha groaned, "Act like Kikyo, no one ever said you had to be her!"  
  
"But that's what you want, isn't it? You want someone to be a fake Miko Diamond."  
  
Inu-yasha found himself in a hole again, and he didn't try to fight her on this. He looked out to the dance floor and took Kagome by the arm. He led her out to where her shoes lay and he picked them up and looked at them for a moment.  
  
Inu-yasha looked at Kagome, "There was this kid that worked here once. He couldn't dance for anything, not even a bag of gold. He wanted to quit hundreds of times, but one thing remained in his mind.  
  
"He remembered his father's night hall and the first night he was old enough to see it. One guy stood out from all the rest, and they called him the Diamond's Lover. The guy danced like he had been doing it for years, and when the kid came up to him to ask him to help him learn to dance, the guy told him, 'There's only one thing you need to know in order to be a go dancer. You have to believe you can do it up in your head. Once you have it there, that's the easy part. From that point on, you need to find what makes you believe it in your heart.'"  
  
Kagome whipped her last tear from her face and sniffled, "So, what happened?"  
  
Inu-yasha grinned, "Well, the guy taught him how to dance, and he believed it up in his head enough to make it into the original male dance team here at the Well de Rouge, and when they guy retired, the kid was old enough to take his place."  
  
Kagome smiled as Inu-yasha handed her the dance shoes. She looked at them, and then back at Inu-yasha, "So, what made him believe in the first place?"  
  
Inu-yasha took a step back, "Well, in his head, the kid believed he could be just as good as the Diamond Lover, and he ended out being even better."  
  
Kagome then had an odd look on her face and asked one last question, "And what does he believe in his heart?"  
  
Inu-yasha smiled, "He's still trying to figure that out!"  
  
Kagome felt odd about the whole conversation. Even though she knew very well whom they were talking about, she did not feel like she could be Kikyo's equal.  
  
Inu-yasha cleared his throat, "Okay, let's get down to business here! You need to relax first hand because when you're all tense you can't think, can't move, and can't breathe. It's very important to breathe!"  
  
Kagome sighed and looked at her shoes, but Inu-yasha took them out of her hands, "Don't bother with these now, we need to get your steps right, first."  
  
Inu-yasha placed the shoes a ways from where they both were standing and came back to her. He looked over her dress and pondered for a moment, "First things first! You need to see what you're feet are doing in order to know where you're going."  
  
"But Sesshoumaru said that I can't look at my feet."  
  
Inu-yasha snorted, "Yeah, well, he's not your teacher now, I am, and the first thing we need to do is make sure you have an idea of where your feet are going."  
  
Inu-yasha bent down to her skirt and lifted it, petticoats and all until all that could be seen was the pant like under garment. Kagome gasped and pushed her dress back down, "What are you thinking?"  
  
Inu-yasha glared at her, "Oh please! I'm a gigolo for crying out loud; it's nothing I haven't seen before. Now do you want to see your feet or what?"  
  
Kagome frowned and then sighed, "All right, but I'm only doing this for myself."  
  
Inu-yasha waved his hands, "Fine, fine! Whatever just take it off!"  
  
Kagome blushed, and Inu-yasha crossed his arms, "Oh you know what I meant!"  
  
So, she sucked it in and removed her skirt and three petticoats. Kagome turned to Inu-yasha expecting him to be looking her over, but he didn't even seem to notice it. It was like that face she was partly undressed didn't even faze him.  
  
Inu-yasha clapped his hands, "Now, lets get back on stage shall we?"  
  
Kagome and Inu-yasha walked up to the top of the stage high rise, and Inu- yasha played the record. Kagome began her chorography so that he could spy her problem areas, and the only problem was...well, in short, all of it!  
  
Kagome stopped halfway and looked at him, "Well?"  
  
Inu-yasha stood with a displeased look on his face, and sucked air through his teeth before walking down to her, "How early do you wake up in the morning?"  
  
"Before dawn, why?"  
  
Inu-yasha put a fake grin on his face, "Okay, when you see that sun start to rise, that's when we stop."  
  
Kagome gasped in anger, "Oh, so when do we start again, then huh?"  
  
Inu-yasha took her hand, "Same time we end!"  
  
He then pulled Kagome to the top of the stairs and went back down, "Okay, no music this time. First you need to learn beat. In dancing, there's usually a count to keep everyone in time starting from one to eight. So, lets try that!"  
  
Kagome nodded and Inu-yasha began his count slowly at first and watched Kagome as she staggered through from one to eight. Inu-yasha shook his head, "No, okay, from the top again!"  
  
He walked up with her this time and counted, but this time stopped at each number to correct Kagome's pose and stature until they got back down to eight. He turned to her when they got to five, "Okay, there's a pose we're missing here!"  
  
Kagome groaned, "What now?"  
  
Inu-yasha looked at her and then walked around her, "You need to act more sexy, more seductive. Every man wants a piece of you out there and you want to make it seem like you know it, but they can't have it."  
  
Kagome laughed feeling goofy about the whole thing, "So, now what?"  
  
"Well, think about it, you know! What makes a man's heart run wild about a woman?"  
  
Kagome walked up to the top of the first step and thought hard for a moment about the steps. She got into her first pose, and thought about her figure as a woman. She puffed her chest out a bit and showed her legs off as she walked down the stage rises, and let Inu-yasha watch.  
  
She then turned around and placed her hands on her hips for a moment, and then held one up to him, "I believe you were expecting me?"  
  
Inu-yasha smiled and nodded, "Well, that's one part down!"  
  
Thus, the days and night followed with the same training and dancing. Inu- yasha found time for her around his appointments and meeting places. Wherever there was room, he taught her. In the afternoon during her tea break he would teach her steps to simple dances and steps in public. Behind closed doors he'd put those steps to work by showing her how to make them more seductive and sultry. Places for these lessons took place either in her hotel room or on the stage of the Well de Rouge. Often the whole lesson would get boring, and Kagome would try to bring him out of his serious mode into a fun one, but she knew when it was time for real work and whatnot. Inu-yasha's teaching and lessons led to short sleeping hours for Kagome alone, because she slept only when he was away with a client. He seemed to act like there was no tomorrow, like he thrived off being awake for such long hours, but maybe he was used to this, too.  
  
In one lesson, she found herself learning how to dance in a very different set of clothing. Inu-yasha knocked on her door in the hotel, and she answered it rather groggy. She looked at him when the door was open and he walked in, "Okay, we need to make up for lost time, so let's get started!"  
  
Kagome groaned as she shut the door, "What do we do tonight at this ungodly hour?"  
  
Inu-yasha removed his trench coat and revealed a rather horrific corset that looked like the waist could, well, disappear. Kagome's jaw dropped, "What is that?"  
  
Inu-yasha gave her a look, "It's a corset, what's it look like?"  
  
Kagome mocked a laugh, "It looks like something that you'd get from a torture chamber."  
  
Inu-yasha snorted in amusement and then twirled his finger to tell her to turn around. Kagome groaned, and took hold of her bedpost.  
  
"Wait! I have to take my corset before I put that thing on!" Kagome announced and began to undo the snaps in her corset. Inu-yasha waited until the black corset she wore over her white night shirt came undone. As the black garment shed off her body, he couldn't help but notice one very different fact about Kagome's body and Kikyo's. Kagome caught this sudden observance and questioned, "What?"  
  
Inu-yasha sort of came out of a slight daze, "I'm sorry! It just that...um!"  
  
"What?" Kagome demanded and she put her hands on her hips.  
  
Inu-yasha growled and closed his eyes, "You're not like Kikyo as much as I thought."  
  
Kagome looked at her breasts for a moment, realizing that this was the topic of their conversation. She looked back up at him, "Are they not like hers?"  
  
Inu-yasha looked again and sighed nervously, "No, but I don't think we have much to worry about there anyway."  
  
Kagome placed the corset around her body, and Inu-yasha's claws combed out the cords. She adjusted the front of the corset, and then prepared herself by taking hold of her bedpost. Inu-yasha tugged at the cords until they met her normal figure, "Well, here we go! You ready?"  
  
Kagome squeaked and gripped the bedpost with her arms. Inu-yasha shook his head and gave his first good pull, and instantly Kagome exhaled out loud.  
  
"Oh jeez!" she cried.  
  
Inu-yasha pulled all the excess cord from the lacing so it would make its way down to the excess cord in his hands, "Just try to keep it all in!"  
  
He pulled again with a good trust and Kagome gasped, "Oh, gods, I can't breathe!"  
  
Inu-yasha snorted, "Get used to it!" and he gave on last and final pull and tied the corset off. Kagome gasped to try and get a full breath of air, but it was no use.  
  
Kagome closed her eyes and felt the sides of her body, and found that the depth of her curves had gotten far deeper.  
  
Inu-yasha put on a record and held out his hand, "All right, let's go!"  
  
Kagome shook her head and leaned back against the bedpost, "I can't dance like this. I can't breathe!"  
  
Inu-yasha rolled his eyes and took hold of her to make sure she knew he was close by, "You faint now, and you'll never get through this?"  
  
Kagome sighed, but it wasn't as heavy as usual, "Fine, put the sooner we finish, the fast you help me out of this evil thing."  
  
And so, the lessons continued, with the "ungodly" corset on Kagome until she got used to it.  
  
Finally, it was Monday afternoon and the show was in two hours. Kagome was dressed in her undergarments while Inu-yasha was dressed in his under shirt and pants. Kagome had gotten used to the fact she didn't have to worry about clothing around him, and she found that the other girls wore only there underwear around the Well de Rouge as well during rehearsal, and sure even at the show there really wasn't much difference, but she liked that she could feel comfortable with Inu-yasha more than the other gigolos.  
  
So, the time had come for final judgment, and Kagome was ready. Inu-yasha sat up after drinking his tea with her on the stage and clapped his hands, "All right, it's time for your finals, Kagome! You believe you can handle it yet?"  
  
Kagome jumped up to her feet and got into position, "I'm ready for anything, Inu-yasha! Let's play that record and show it whose boss!"  
  
"Good!" Inu-yasha simply stated and pulled out the same handkerchief Kagome had whipped her tears with long ago. Kagome looked at the cloth then at him confused, "What's that for?"  
  
Inu-yasha smiled and got behind her, "If you really know it, then you can do it with out your eyes!"  
  
He bound the handkerchief over her eyes, "But if I can't see how will I know where the step is, or when I need to find my partner?"  
  
"You shouldn't have to use your eyes for that. Use what's inside of you. Uses your instincts!"  
  
Kagome stood blinded and got back into position as Inu-yasha turned the record on once more. She felt everything in side of her scream in fear and terror. How could she do this? How could he do this to her? She couldn't dance with out her sight, or could she?  
  
Suddenly, everything inside of her snapped and all she could here was the music and feel Inu-yasha's presence. She'd gotten this far, and nothing was going to stop her now. Kagome took her first few steps.  
  
One, Two, Three...  
  
The music played in her head as she moved with it, and felt her body go into this zone all its own. She was doing it! She was really dancing!  
  
Three, Four, Five...  
  
Now came the part where she danced with a partner, and she felt Inu-yasha's clawed hand touch hers and he pulled her close to him like they had always done before. His hands touched her leg and supported her back. Then, she took hold of the hand that touched her leg and he let him take the lead as he danced in his sultry ways with her.  
  
Seven, Eight, and One...  
  
Kagome soon found herself wondering what was going through his mind when he did this. He hated her, didn't he? So, what really made him act like this around her? Then, it kind of clicked in as acting. He was acting like he couldn't resist her body, but in reality it was all just simple steps to a dance. It was nothing but a dance.  
  
Six, Seven, Eight, and STOP!  
  
Kagome found herself in the final position, which was Inu-yasha dipping her and putting his face near her breasts. She pulled her head up and removed the blindfold, "I did it! Inu-yasha, I did it! I can dance!"  
  
Inu-yasha pulled her back to her feet and she smiled at him and he smiled back at her, "So, you believe it in your head now, right?"  
  
Kagome nodded franticly, "Oh, gods, yes, but you were right! Something about your heart plays a part in this as well. It was like it was guiding me through it all, but I don't know what was making it believe. It's like a completely different reason than the one in my head. I don't know what it is!"  
  
Inu-yasha smiled as he caught his breath, "That's what will make you get better and better as you go. You'll want to know that answer, and you won't stop until you find it."  
  
Kagome smiled and suddenly spied the clock to the side of the stage, "Oh shit!"  
  
She took hold on Inu-yasha's clawed hand, "We have to get ready! We have to be ready for the second number!"  
  
Inu-yasha gripped her hand as he looked at the clock and then back at her, "Go to Kikyo's quarters. Kaede will be waiting there to suit you up."  
  
Kagome gripped his hand and looked at him, "You'll be there, right? I mean, I know I'm not dancing with you, but you'll still be near by, right?"  
  
Inu-yasha saw the look in her eyes and felt everything in his body shutter. He cleared his throat and let go of her hand, "Yeah, I mean, I have the next number after yours. I have to be back stage by then."  
  
Kagome smiled and hugged him, and Inu-yasha found himself in a daze from the sudden reaction. Kagome suddenly snapped out of her own daze and pulled away from him, with a red blush over her face. Inu-yasha had his own and then turned his head to backstage, "Come on, Kagome! The longer we stay here the less time you'll have to get into your 'ungodly' corset."  
  
Kagome whinnied and held her sides as she walked beside Inu-yasha to the dressing rooms.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A/N; Awe! What a great chapter, huh? Hope you're all salivatin' for more.  
  
Next chapter, Kagome's big break has arrived. Dressed in a red gown and complete with diamond-covered necklaces and jewelry, Kagome feels ready for anything, but there's only one problem. She doesn't think she can dance the same way she does when she's in Inu-yasha's arms. So, what happens when the backstage pass becomes a total front and center panic? Well, it's time to start finding out those reasons why they believe in their hearts.  
  
See ya next time! Love Rubster!  
  
PS If any one has a question, review and leave your e-mail. I'm doing personal responses through e-mails instead. If anyone is not comfortable with this, just ask for an in story update response. We cool? Oh hell yeah! See ya next chapter! 


	5. Rhythm of the Night

Disclaimer; The original characters in the based story are not mine and the characters that are originally in the series are not mine. Characters of my own creation are added to the story; otherwise the characters belong to the original author or creator.  
  
Well de Rouge Inu-yasha X Moulin Rouge Tale  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
At long last, I'm finally back from my college summer program. I saw all of your reviews and was surprised how many reviews I got while I was gone. So, without further or do, here my friends his chapter two...sorry I liked the rhyme. Here is chapter 5!  
  
Okay, you can scream and cheer for joy now. Don't worry I'll wait.....(sounds of cheering).....okay? Great! Here we go!  
  
WARNING FOR LEMONY STUFF; no this is not the lemon, but I am placing this warning just because there is some lemon like content in this chapter where Kagome and Inu-yasha have a conversation about her breasts and he ends up touching them. But there is not sex scene...yet! ~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 5; Feel the Rhythm of the Night  
  
Loud sounds of cheering and cooing came like waves behind the curtains of the Well de Rouge. Here Kagome stood in her blood red gown that bared her shoulders and black lace gloved hands. Her eyes covered in dark browns and reds, and heavy amounts of black eyeliner. Not to mention the uncomfortable fake eye lashes, which took a lot of her will power not to rub. She looked like a whore; there was no denying it, but some how despite the uncomfortable feeling in her eyes and around her body where the corset broke her figure she felt beautiful. One thing remained though; she did not feel like herself. Kagome wanted to be freed from this prison.  
  
As Kagome peeked out the side of the curtain waiting for her number, Inu- yasha silently approached her. He pulled the curtain aside a bit more so he could look too, and Kagome looked to her side to find her company. "There are so many!"  
  
Inu-yasha smirked and closed his eyes. "What would you expect?" he said letting the curtain close behind him as he walked back stage.  
  
Kagome came to his side as he took a seat in a chair in the power room. She took a seat beside Inu-yasha and watched him as he began to take a make- up brush and paint his eyes with a thick layer of black eyeliner. Now he looked like the Inu-yasha she had remembered the first night she came to the Moulin Rouge. Kagome watched as he applied power to his cheeks and powered his nose somewhat only to sneeze when it tickled his dog nose. She giggled for a moment, but stopped as soon as Inu-yasha gave her a look.  
  
Suddenly after Kagome stopped laughing, Inu-yasha looked her over with great thought. She could tell that the wheels in his head were turning, and that fact he was looking over her body make her worry that Kaede had not made the corset tight enough. Inu-yasha was oddly enough staring at something on her body, and it took Kagome a moment to realize what it was. Once she did, she took not time in slapping him across the face.  
  
"How dare you!" she scowled.  
  
Inu-yasha growled and touched his red cheek, "What the heck is wrong with you?"  
  
Kagome crossed her arms and turned away from him, "You were staring at my breasts."  
  
Inu-yasha leaned forward in his chair and glared at her, "It's not like I haven't seen a woman's breasts before, what are you so paranoid about? It's not like I was admiring them."  
  
Kagome blushed somewhat and glared at him, "Then explain your business with them. Why were you staring?"  
  
Inu-yasha snorted and pulled her arm so she could look her over again. He then sat back as Kagome blushed with embarrassment at the fact she was letting him look at her breasts. Finally she turned to a female dancer beside him and asked her to hand him a case. She did so and Inu-yasha stood before Kagome with a red wooden box in both hands.  
  
Kagome leaned forward and peered into the box to find odd shaped pads, and as she pick one of them up and looked at it, she looked up to him. "Inu- yasha, what are they?"  
  
Inu-yasha smiled deviously, and Kagome took the hint all too quickly before placing the item back in the box. "Oh no, they're just fine they way they are. I don't need bigger breasts."  
  
Inu-yasha groaned, "You're not the same size as Kikyo, though. You have to make sure you look like her."  
  
Kagome looked at her breasts, and then up at him. "Do you think they're too small?"  
  
Inu-yasha's eyes opened wide and he stumbled on words, "Wha....what are you saying? Are you asking me if I find them attractive?"  
  
Kagome looked into the mirror and sort of blushed at the fact she had asked him such a stupid question. She looked at her figure from the side and looked at her breasts. Somehow, she felt ashamed of her body and took the fake breasts reluctantly.  
  
"I guess they really are pitiful compared to Kikyo's. It's amazing that we look so much a like, and yet there are so many small things that are different about us."  
  
Inu-yasha blushed slightly as he looked at her once more. He wanted to tell her that there really was nothing wrong with her breasts. In fact, just being smaller made them look more appealing. Yet, one thing remained. Kagome did not have Kikyo's breasts.  
  
He closed the box and had her take a seat beside him as he pulled a curtain around them and he took the fake breast into his hands. Kagome looked at him as he put one down and held the other one. He placed the first one in her hand.  
  
"Just to make sure, do you know how to put it in?"  
  
Kagome felt red again, but shook it off as she attempted to place the implant in her dress. The corset however, didn't make it any easier and she gave up by the third try. Inu-yasha groaned and took the implant.  
  
"Hold your dress open."  
  
Kagome looked at him and was prepared to argue but he stopped her, "Don't start with me, you don't have a lot of time."  
  
Kagome sat back in her seat and then turned her head away as she opened the front of her dress. She felt his hands reach under her breast and tuck the fake one into place, and then he took the second and did the same. He then had her let the dress go and adjusted her. Through out the whole process, Kagome felt mortified, but oddly enough, she found that Inu-yasha was not phased my her breasts. The fact that he had seen them, and not to mention touched them, made her feel rather odd. Like he didn't think of her as a person, just a toy.  
  
Inu-yasha looked up at her. "What?"  
  
Kagome looked at her breasts and tried to get used to the new odd feeling in her chest. "You...you weren't surprised or embarrassed when you touched my breasts. You've just touched things I normally don't let men touch, especially men like you."  
  
Inu-yasha snorted and looked at her. "Your breasts are no different from any of the others that I've seen. It's not such a big deal to me any more, so what does it matter to you?"  
  
Kagome closed her eyes and lowered her head, "I feel like, I don't know. I guess I was expecting some kind of reaction."  
  
Inu-yasha snorted, "We're creatures of the night here, Kagome. We don't react to things like you do. Breasts are nothing to me, no woman really is as long as they can pay for my services."  
  
Kagome looked at him. "I guess you're right then. They mean nothing to you, and you mean nothing to them. Is that it, Inu-yasha?"  
  
The half-breed gigolo found himself speechless. He had heard these words come from a common girl who made less money than him, and some how, the words had pierced his heart. There was something in side of him that didn't quite feel right, and it hurt. Inu-yasha ignored it and tried to act like what she said didn't make sense to him.  
  
Kagome then got out of the chair and adjusted her dress. "Good luck tonight, Inu-yasha! I hope you please your client after the show."  
  
Inu-yasha watched her leave silently, but it wasn't the fact watching her go made him feel that odd feeling inside of him again, it was the fact she smiled at him when she offered him her best wishes.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kagome shivered in her dress as she tried to remember what she and Inu- yasha had gone through. She was suddenly dead tired and could no longer find the will or the power that made her dance the way she had all weekend. She felt strangely alone and scared.  
  
Her partner, Jean (pronounced Jee-ahn), came at last with his tux and top hat, "Are you ready, Miss Kagome?"  
  
Kagome looked at the closed curtain, and suddenly felt like she was naked in front of millions that weren't even there yet. She was nervous with stage fright.  
  
Suddenly she went to the back of the stage and tried to stop the pounding in her chest. Sango came to her side in an evening gown, and looked at her. "Kagome?"  
  
The frightened girl looked at her friend, "Sango, I can't do it! I can do this I'm just not ready!"  
  
Not far, Inu-yasha was with his brother who was talking to one of the gigolos when he saw Kagome with Sango. The half dressed half-breed narrowed his brow and came up to the two of them.  
  
"Kagome, what are you doing back here? You're the next number!"  
  
Kagome placed her hand on her heart, "I can't do this!"  
  
Inu-yasha bent down slightly to her level, "What are you talking about? We went through this together remember?"  
  
Kagome nodded and looked at him, "I know! It's just that..."  
  
Her words trailed off and she looked at the ground. Inu-yasha sighed and then reached into his side pocket. In a moment he pulled out a small light pink diamond on a gold chain and placed it around her neck. He looked at her and then placed one claw on the diamond.  
  
"It was my mother's! She called it the Shikon Diamond because she thought it granted the wishes of whomever wears it."  
  
Kagome looked at the diamond and then back at her teacher, "Why...why are you--"  
  
"For good luck," he interrupted, "I suppose you'll need it too!"  
  
Kagome smiled at him and hugged him, "Thank you!"  
  
Inu-yasha blushed slightly from her reaction and then shook it off and pulled her from his body. He turned away from her and closed his eyes. "You better go before you hold up the show."  
  
Kagome looked at him, and saw the slightly sad look in his eyes once he opened them. He still didn't look at her and before she could touch his face to have him look at her, Jean called through the curtain, "Miss Kagome!"  
  
Kagome nodded and hurried up to the stage. As the curtain closed, Inu- yasha turned to watch her disappear, felling that odd heavy flutter in his chest again. It took a great deal of strength for him to summon up the will to turn away and return to his normal state. He hid his feelings from prying eyes, again, and question what was going on with him.  
  
Kagome came to Jean's side as everyone rushed to get into position. She felt strange as Jean placed his arm around her, and the feeling was uncomfortable to her. She felt a tear form in her eye as she thought to herself, I don't know you all that well, Inu-yasha, but I wonder if you ever feel pain. Are you lonely on those cold winter nights? Always waking up to find money instead of a warm body beside you? I wish I could see things they way you do. I wish that just this once, I could dance with you and help you see that you don't have to be alone. I wish I knew how to heal the pain you must hide everyday. I wish I knew how...how to make you feel the way I do when I dance with you. I wish you would dance with me. I wish you were dancing with me right now!  
  
Suddenly, Kouga came rushing through the curtain and bumped into Jean. Jean didn't know what hit him and suddenly lost his balance on the stage and fell on his elbow hard. Kagome gasped and came to his side a long with the rest of the dancers.  
  
Kouga came to his side. "Jean, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?"  
  
Jean lifted the arm that he fell on and gasped in pain, "My right arm! I must have fell on it too hard. I think it's broken."  
  
Kagome gasped and tried to help him to his feet. "Kouga, find Sesshoumaru and Kaede!"  
  
She helped Jean backstage just as Sesshoumaru, Kaede, and Inu-yasha came to the scene. Inu-yasha was getting ready for his number, and was dressed in white paints and a black sleeveless dress shirt with cuffs at his wrists.  
  
Jean shook his head, "I've done something to it. I can't go on!"  
  
Sesshoumaru shook his head, "This is bad! Marc can't do it now because he's in the next number, and I can't loose a man for...Inu-yasha?"  
  
The half-breed looked up at his brother, "What?"  
  
Sesshoumaru snapped his claws together and pointed at his younger sibling, "You taught her! You go and dance with her!"  
  
Inu-yasha gave him an odd look and then at Kagome. The girl shook her head. "But, what about his number?"  
  
Sesshoumaru thought hard for a moment and then gathered the two together. "Alright here's the new plan!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The music started and Kagome's heart raced as the curtain opened, and despite the butterflies in her stomach, something inside of her snapped. The words came to her mind and she thought like Kikyo would if it was really she instead of Kagome.  
  
*The French are glad to die for love...*  
  
Kagome walked down the stage swaying her hips and held out her arms as gigolos grabbed hold of her and lowered her into the crowd of men.  
  
*A kiss on the hand maybe quite continental  
  
But diamonds are a girl's best friend  
  
A kiss maybe grand but it  
  
Won't pay the rental on your humble flats,  
  
Or help you feed your cat.  
  
Men grow cold as, girls grow old,  
  
And we all loose our charms in the end.  
  
But spare cut or pair shaped  
  
These rocks won't loose their shape  
  
Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend. *  
  
Kagome danced with a few of the men and gazed into their lovesick and desire filled eyes. The rush swept her up, and she was lost in her own dominance over them all. She was the master of their desires, a snake charmer to the snakes in the hall.  
  
"Tiffanies" "Cattier"  
  
*For we are living in a material world  
  
And I am a material girl. *  
  
Kagome came to a dark figure and blew a kiss in his face, and then turned back to the boys on the dance floor. "Come and get me boys!"  
  
They picked her off the ground and carried her over their heads. Inu-yasha scrambled around to doors that lead under the stage with Sesshoumaru who was not far behind. His brother went to the right of the stage and appeared through a trap door just as Kagome came up to him.  
  
(Note, I'm not sure what she says here either so just go with me okay?)  
  
"That's all! Last Call? Talk to me, Sessy Darling, let's tell them all about it!"  
  
*There may come a time when a girl needs a lawyer. *  
  
^But Diamonds are a girl's best friend^  
  
*There may come a time when your boss thinks you're-- *  
  
^ Awful nice! ^  
  
*But get that ice or else no dice! *  
  
^He's your guy when stocks are high, but beware when they start to descend! ^  
  
Sesshoumaru led Kagome to the center of the stage and let her stand there until the trap door behind her opened.  
  
*Diamonds are a girl's best  
  
Diamonds are a girl's best  
  
Diamonds are a girl's best friend! *  
  
And right on cue, Inu-yasha appeared behind Kagome and grabbed hold of her hands, and dipped her to the side as her hand touched his face. "Let's make love!"  
  
As the music played Kagome danced with Inu-yasha at her side. Soon the feeling she had while dancing with the men below the stage disappeared, and she found herself lost in the amber shades of Inu-yasha's eyes. His face was faking that of a man drunk with desire, but his eyes held something completely different. It was as though he could feel this odd thing inside of her.  
  
Kagome knew what it was, and it somehow revolved around every thing that she had told him that day. He knew that every woman he was with he could give his body to, but somehow he could know he could never have them. But Kagome was different, and dancing with her was different.  
  
Kagome stood before her audience and felt Inu-yasha dip her slowly, and then bring her back up.  
  
*Cause that's when those louses  
  
Go back to their spouses.  
  
Diamonds  
  
Are a  
  
Girl's  
  
Best*  
  
Suddenly, Inu-yasha took hold of her face and she found herself lost in his eyes. Inu-yasha then whispered to her, "Friend?"  
  
The word echoed through the hall, and everyone stood in awe of his and her performance. Finally, the cooing and cheering started up again as both Kagome and Inu-yasha took a bow as the curtain closed.  
  
Kagome let out her breath and looked at him, they hugged each other and she squealed in delight. Then, they realized the situation they were in and pulled apart from the other. Kagome laughed silently and Inu-yasha did the same.  
  
Kagome rubbed her arm for a moment and then looked at Inu-yasha. Slowly she extended her hand to him with a warm smile, "Good work, Partner!"  
  
Inu-yasha looked at her and smirked as his cocky look came over his face, "You still need some work, but nice job for the first night."  
  
Kagome crossed her arms, "I still need work? What are you talking about?"  
  
Inu-yasha scowled, "Oh please, do you honestly think you could have done half the things you did if I hadn't dance with you on the first night? Kagome, you need to get used to dancing with other partners."  
  
Kagome rubbed her arm and looked at the ground, "Does this mean you don't want to be my partner?"  
  
Inu-yasha tired to speak, but sighed instead, "Kagome...it's not...that's not what I'm saying! That's not it at all!"  
  
Kagome lifted her chin and looked at him. Inu-yasha looked at her with the oddest soft look in his eyes, "It's just that..."  
  
"Just what?" Kagome asked softly.  
  
Inu-yasha looked at her and felt his heart race for a moment. Then he closed his eyes, glared at her. "You're just not at my level! I don't really do half of the stuff I did up there tonight. Stuff that a girl like you would freak out over," he scowled.  
  
Kagome huffed in his face and stomped her foot, "I bet you I can handle it. You'd be surprised!"  
  
Inu-yasha glared at her, "You really think you're up to it? I bet you wouldn't last a second."  
  
Kagome smirked, "Try me!"  
  
Inu-yasha got pissed with her and the fact he couldn't get the last word out. So, he snorted, "Early morning, right here, after the morning meal."  
  
"Why not now?" Kagome asked as she crossed her arms.  
  
Inu-yasha growled at her and Kagome remembered and smiled, "Sorry! You've all ready got plans."  
  
Inu-yasha snorted, "Fine then it's settled!"  
  
"Good see you in the morning!" And with that Kagome left to head back to her apartment. Inu-yasha returned to his room and began removing the make- up and clothing he was wearing. He looked in the mirror and removed one of his eye's make-ups. Then, he stopped to look at himself and saw how the make-up was like a mask. It was like the mask he wore when he was with a woman. It was like the mask he would wear tonight. It was the mask that Kagome saw through tonight, and he wondered why a girl he could hardly deal with most of the time, could see right through the mask and open something he had no name for. The feeling he felt when Kagome left the Well de Rouge, was one that he had not felt before, at least not as strong. Sure he had felt it when he woke up in a hotel bed to find money on the nightstand or dresser; or, when he woke up to find his client dressing and handing him money for the night's event. It was a feeling he was familiar with, but when Kagome left it was heavier, painful, and he didn't know why, but he found himself longing and hoping that he'd see her the next morning. He wanted to skip his client all together and just go to sleep so that he could see her the next morning. Yet, the knock on his door came sooner than he thought, and he told them he'd be there in a moment as he whipped the last bit of make up off his face. The mask was gone, but some how, still there.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A/N; Ta da! You're long awaited chapter is at an end. Hope it was worth the wait.  
  
Next chapter, Kagome and Inu-yasha go through some new dance steps and find that their partnership benefits the musical and Sesshoumaru's pocket.  
  
Yet, even though everyone has told Kagome of their plans to make sure none of Kikyo's clients make plans with her, one client slips by with a offer Kagome thinks she's up to, but she doesn't know the dangers of being a courtesan, especially when you're a fake one. And the dangers are ones that Inu-yasha knows about, but he won't discover them until it's almost too late.  
  
This might be a two-part chapter coming up, (or just a chapter with a large cliff hanger), but the song will be Le Tango de Roxanne, Starring Kouga and Inu-yasha.  
  
See you next time!  
  
Rubster! (Not "Rub"-ster! Roob as is Ruby! This is for Shaun's information) 


	6. El Tango de Roxanne Part 1

Disclaimer; The original characters in the based story are not mine and the characters that are originally in the series are not mine. Characters of my own creation are added to the story; otherwise the characters belong to the original author or creator.  
  
Well de Rouge Inu-yasha X Moulin Rouge Tale  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ah darn, gimme 5 minutes..........Okay! I'm back (huff huff) had to go and get the Moulin Rouge Soundtrack in order to put this all together.  
  
Anyway, now will come the major turning point in my story. So try your best to keep close attention to this chapter. It's going to be difficult for me to put this all together. Since the El Tango de Roxanne scene is complicated when put on paper, I'll try to make it as easy as possible to read with all of Fan Fiction's little quirks.  
  
Now, take a deep cleansing breath...no not you, me! I've been reading Cataluna's "Our Love Affair" in my favorite stories section and I'm going crazy not knowing what's going to happen. I pray that the next chapter will appear soon!  
  
All right, now that I've got that out of my system, I'll get all the junk out of your system!  
  
~~~~~  
  
Chapter 6; El Tango De Roxanne Part 1  
  
The week flew by faster than anyone had expected it too. However, the week seemed a bit longer for Kagome. During the daytime, she and Inu-yasha practiced their new routine and he "improved" her movements.  
  
Kagome soon started to wear a mask of her own, and it was the one Kikyo wore all the time. However, when Inu-yasha danced with her, the mask never reflected in his eyes. When he danced with her it was something far different. Kagome's heart would pound in time with the music's beat, and his would catch the counter beats.  
  
Besides improving the dance steps, he added some of his own classics to the dancing. Now, Kagome realized that her body needed to be somewhat of just an object when they danced. His hands would touch her hips and thighs, and even at some points the back or front of his hand would touch a breast's side or the crevasse between them. He was surprised after so long that she didn't care anymore. She knew it was noting intimate, it was just dancing and trying to drive a bunch of men wild in the hall...along with many women.  
  
As the week progressed, Kagome and Inu-yasha established a relationship that most dance partners have. They trusted each other with what the other was doing, and that Friday night was no different.  
  
"One, two, and three, and dip, two, three..." Inu-yasha counted, "You all right?" he asked finally after an hour had gone by of straight dancing.  
  
Kagome's chest was heaving slightly and he stopped his lead. "You look like you're going to pass out!"  
  
Kagome huffed breathlessly, "I just need to take a break. My feet are dying in these stupid heels."  
  
Inu-yasha released her and let her take a seat on the edge of the stage. Kagome pulled her petty coats up and started to remove her shoes. She had gotten used to the whole dance practice in your underwear thing. In fact, it kept her cooler with out her outer corset and heavy skirt on. One single petty coat, stockings, a sleeveless under shirt, and a sash around her middle were all she needed.  
  
Inu-yasha would wear pretty much the same. The summer heat was horrible during the day in the hall. Today, he wore old black dance pants, his dullest pair of dance shoes and a tank make to be worn under his dress shirts.  
  
Kagome had shocked him a lot during that week. She was content with his new sultry dances, and it was like she knew that it was just advertising. He had never expected his dancing to not make a woman feel weak at the knees. Kagome as he remembered not long ago, was exactly like that, but now she completely ignored the look in his eyes, which was to look like desire. His eyes were meant for women in the hall to gawk over, but focusing in Kagome's eyes while he was dancing was something completely different. She would look right through him, right through his mask.  
  
Kagome's mask was only worn during her dance numbers with him, but even at that, Inu-yasha couldn't see Kikyo. Sure she was perfectly believable when they danced, but these practices were different. He didn't want to wear his mask all the time, and it came to show that soon as they practiced before each show that Inu-yasha wasn't wearing his mask around her anymore.  
  
"Here!" he said handing her a glass of water.  
  
"Thank you!" she said through a puff of air, and she slugged a mouthful of water in one gulp. She sighed as the cold water soothed the burning in her throat.  
  
Inu-yasha took the same glass and guzzled down the rest. It was only then that he realized he hadn't had a drop of alcohol since he started teaching her, and the funny thing was he didn't want it anymore.  
  
Kagome lay back on the stage to look up at the ceiling and catch her breath. She placed her hand over her diaphragm and closed her eyes as her chest heaved up and down. She was tired from all the practices starting at eight in the morning. Luckily today Inu-yasha gave her an extra hour, but they had to make up for lost time.  
  
Inu-yasha finally leaned back and found out that he was slightly out of breath, too. He felt like a teenager again. Leaning back on the stage like old times when he was learning to dance.  
  
Kagome finally steadied her breathing and turned her head to the side. "Want to talk?"  
  
Talk? That was new too! No woman would lie down beside him and just openly say, "Want to talk?" Naw, women would just throw themselves at him and he's do what he was paid to do and he'd be gone or woke up with his pay on the nightstand in the morning. Talking consisted of women screaming his name in the darkness of a simple hotel room, and moans of pleasure.  
  
"Sure! What about?" he said rather casually.  
  
Kagome leaned on her side and smirked and he propped her head on her hand and elbow. "Tell me about last night's client!"  
  
Inu-yasha huffed a silent breathless laugh, "W-why on earth would you want to talk about that?" he laughed. It felt good to laugh. He hadn't laughed in so long, and it felt good.  
  
Kagome smirked and rolled back over on her back, "I want to know what you do once you're out of here."  
  
This wasn't the first time she had been so casual about his business. After every number he would have to leave to meet his client in an hour. They'd take him to dinner sometimes, or a dance club up north, and then it was off to the hotel about a block away from the Well de Rouge to top of the night. Kagome acted like she wasn't bothered by it at all. It was how he made his living to her and nothing more. She didn't judge him for what he did, just kept an open mind.  
  
This question had caught him completely off guard since he never talked about his clients to anyone. He felt like he could be open with her though. It was like kiss and tell with another guy, except this was his dance partner.  
  
Inu-yasha laughed quietly for a few moments and then sat up still finding the question humorous. "I'm sorry! I've just never been asked to talk openly about my affairs."  
  
Kagome sat up and hopped of stage and folded her arms over his lap and rested her chin on her arms. "Come one, tell me!" she pleaded with a sweet smile.  
  
He looked at her, and he couldn't help it, but he felt like a kid. "Alright, don't start acting like that fox of yours there, um, Shippo."  
  
Kagome giggled and waited for him to collect his thoughts. Inu-yasha grinned as he tried to recollect last night's events. "Okay, you know that woman in the red dress sitting in that booth on the right, second one back?"  
  
Kagome cocked her head in the direction he was pointing in. "Oh, yeah! The woman that was fanning herself like she was going to faint, I remember her. She had red hair I think."  
  
"Blonde," he corrected her, "but it was a sort of dirty blonde. Anyway, I met her in the front with her driver. She had the most beautiful car. It was green with silver decals.  
  
"Well, she took me to a place for dinner and complimented me on our dance number. She said it was far different then what I had been doing in shows before."  
  
Kagome cocked her head to the side. "So, you've been with her before?"  
  
Inu-yasha nodded and then continued, "Her husband owns a winery outside of the city. He's not home Thursday nights, and so she finds time to come here during those days. She says he's having an affair of his own with someone, but she doesn't want to admit it because she doesn't want to loose her only source of money."  
  
Kagome's smile disappeared. "That's so sad!"  
  
Inu-yasha merely shrugged his shoulders, but looked into the distance for a moment. "I suppose you could say that. Still, she doesn't seem to care herself. She's a gold-digger just wasting his money on the things she wants."  
  
Inu-yasha chuckled a little and looked at Kagome surprised that he was holding her attention still. She picked her head up. "So, you had dinner! Then, what?"  
  
Inu-yasha smirked as he looked down at her. "What else?"  
  
Kagome looked at him with her innocent gaze, and he knew he had struck her virgin ears with his story. He looked into her eyes wondering if she was even still interested in hearing what happened next. Inu-yasha felt Kagome's fingers curl around his thigh as the anticipation grew.  
  
Inu-yasha blushed a little now, but his color lifted when he began. "We went to the hotel, and as usual there's my room reserved and ready. Sesshoumaru always makes those arrangements. I guess you could say room 114 is my office."  
  
Kagome smiled again and then listened. Inu-yasha chuckled a little while longer and then cleared his throat. "So, we went in, and things went about like always. She would remove my shirt, and I'd loosen up her gown. She let her hair down, and I'd remove some more of her undergarments. She touched my pelvis. I touched her breasts. Then, as soon as we where both in the nude she laid back on the mattress and I did my thing. She screamed and moaned, and then we'd change positions. Then we stopped, and I fell asleep. This morning I found my pay, got dressed, went home and showered, and then met you here for practice."  
  
Kagome was in awe about how cool he was about the whole thing. It was so weird listening to him talk about his work. She felt dirty, but it was a humorous dirty feeling. Kagome blushed when he started to talk about the sex end of the story, and was glad that he somewhat didn't go into detail.  
  
Still, a lingering question stayed in her head. "What were you doing, you know, besides your business?"  
  
Inu-yasha looked at her and had a slight grin. "Well, I need to make sure my clients get what they want and I keep time. I stop when their pay is up."  
  
Kagome grinned a little and squealed when she felt funny about the whole thing. "I feel like such a goof! I can't stop smiling! It's so dirty, but weird to hear you talk about it."  
  
Inu-yasha laughed heartily now, and leaned all the way back to rest on the stage again. His chest bounced as he laughed about the whole thing. He felt dirty and weird about the whole thing too, now. He couldn't believe he had been so open about the whole thing with Kagome.  
  
She smiled, and lifted her head and moved her arms away from his lap, but kept her hands over his knees. He looked like a kid, and could see he felt like one too.  
  
Kagome waited until he pushed himself back up, but supported most of his weight on his arms now. Inu-yasha was still smiling, as her fingernails curled gently over his knees.  
  
He couldn't quite explain it, but something in Kagome's simple little touches made his spine shiver. When he danced with her he could feel it too. Sure, there were parts in that nightly dance of theirs wear she would look as though she were grabbing the contents of his pants, but every sexual touch wasn't the same as just feeling her hand in his. Yet, these innocent moments when she'd touch his legs, arms, or chest seemed to make his body feel so much different. He could be so open with her and she would always share her feelings with him about it. Kagome could make him laugh about the whole thing, whatever it was they talked about during their breaks.  
  
Kagome looked at his knees for a while with her warm smile, and then her face became lost and confused quickly. She leaned back on his knees and folded her arms, "Why haven't I been called out to do these things? Not that I want to mind you!"  
  
Inu-yasha smiled at the bluntness in her voice when she mentioned her mind. "You're not Kikyo for one thing, and her stand inns don't mix with her clients. Also, you don't know the ropes of being a courtesan. It's not as easy as it looks!"  
  
Kagome took a hard gulp, "It doesn't always lead to sex in the end does it?"  
  
Inu-yasha's face became stern. "Courtesans can be taken against their will, Kagome. Men can force them to do things they don't want them too. They have to stay in control at all times in any situation, and recognize the dangers ahead of time."  
  
Kagome saw Kikyo in a whole new light after Inu-yasha had told her this. She understood why she had told her that Kikyo was a woman. It takes a strong woman to do the things she does.  
  
Kagome looked at Inu-yasha. "What about you?"  
  
Inu-yasha grinned, "Nothing gets by Sesshoumaru, for one thing! He makes sure my clients are clean, and that's mostly why the majority of my clients are married women who have had children. They're usually ensured!"  
  
Kagome smiled "So are you still clean?" she giggled after asking a silly question.  
  
Inu-yasha puffed up his chest and let it all out laughing. "I'm healthy as a horse!"  
  
Kagome grinned, "I'm glad Sesshoumaru takes care of you all so much. He must really care about you."  
  
Suddenly, Inu-yasha's frown disappeared and Kagome lifted her head bewildered by his sudden change in emotions. "What is it? Did I say something that offended you?"  
  
Inu-yasha closed his eyes for a moment. "Sesshoumaru really doesn't care about me. I'm more like an employee that works here."  
  
Kagome stood up straight and placed each arm beside each of his thighs. "But...but you're his brother!"  
  
Inu-yasha looked at her with a rather narrow brow. "Half-brother!" he corrected her a second time that day. Kagome jumped at the low tone in his voice.  
  
"Inu-yasha?" she asked as she leaned forward on his knees.  
  
The half-breed sighed through his nose. "My father used to own this hall, as I told you before. Anyway, one of the courtesans died after contracting a urinal infection and ignoring it for so long."  
  
Kagome looked at him as he sat forward a bit more and returned his weight to his buttocks. His hands reached for Kagome's that were lying limply at his thighs.  
  
"Anyway, he hired a new girl for the job, one he met in the western part of town. He freshened her up, taught her everything she needed to know, and she started work two weeks later in the show."  
  
He paused again, and closed his eyes. "Two years later, he was teaching her something for the next show, when she fell for him. Sure enough my father fell in love with her, too. He had a two-week affair with her during the Christmas break. When business was up and running, she couldn't start work again because he was jealous and she didn't want anyone else.  
  
"Sesshoumaru's mother was the one who discovered the flaw in the courtesan's appointments, and loss of money. Then, she found out she was pregnant, and sure enough after the kid was born...they knew who the father was two days after the birth."  
  
Kagome's eyes opened in shock. "You never told me this!"  
  
He opened his eyes and squeezed her hands. "I really haven't told anyone. Well, they decided to keep me in the side of the business I was born into. I didn't see much of my father, or even knew he was my father until much later on. I was teased a lot those days.  
  
"When Sesshoumaru took over, I knew how to dance and all the tricks to a gigolo's life. Thus, with my half blood, he decided I would be useful in the high price range. Get both in one, deal! I took the offer and it hasn't been bad. We don't fight a lot, but we never take it to a family level. He's my boss, and I'm a high price gigolo in his right pocket, a long with Kikyo."  
  
Kagome looked as though she might cry, and sighed a little. He remembered her father before he died, and all the misery of living a life without him that followed. Inu-yasha was no different somewhat, only his father never showed he cared. Letting one son control the ropes and letting the other do the dirty work.  
  
"I'm sorry!" she whimpered.  
  
Inu-yasha looked at her and lifted her chin. "Why are you crying? You don't have to cry for me. I'm not ashamed of the way my life turned out."  
  
Kagome wiped a tear that got away and tried to regain her. Inu-yasha then looked at her neck, and found the Shikon Diamond around her neck. He smiled. "Mother's necklace! You're still wearing it!"  
  
Kagome felt her chest for the pink diamond and smiled a little. Inu- yasha's hand moved towards her and he looked at the stone that he held with his claws and fingertips. He then looked at Kagome as she looked at the stone.  
  
"Why did you ask me all this?" he asked with a slight rumble in his voice.  
  
Kagome looked up at him with the softest eyes. Inu-yasha felt something rush down his spine, a warm sort of wave from his head to his toes. What was this weird spell she had over him? He couldn't put his finger on it.  
  
Kagome's eyes batted for a moment, and then she smiled like it was no big deal. "I just thought you might need someone to talk to about it, that's all."  
  
Inu-yasha's stare didn't break though and he leaned in closer to her. "Just something to talk about?"  
  
Kagome felt her heart thudding against her chest and panicked as she pressed her hand against his chest. "Stop!" she said in a weak voice. Her hand felt the thudding of his own heart now through his chest.  
  
Inu-yasha broke his stare with her and found her hand on his chest. What was wrong with him? He was a gigolo for crying out loud, he didn't believe in any of that love crap.  
  
"I'm sorry, Kagome! I guess I just thought there was something more behind it."  
  
Kagome leaned back on his knees. "There is, but I'm just not sure if I want to ask you it. You all ready said you were happy with the way things are."  
  
Inu-yasha touched the hand that was slowly drifting away from his heart. His eye filled with wonder. "What is it?"  
  
Kagome looked up at him and parted her lips slightly. "Isn't it lonely knowing that the women you sleep with don't share the same feelings?"  
  
Inu-yasha looked at her confused. "They don't love me and I don't love them. I all ready told you love just ruins everything. My father and mother are the perfect example of that. I don't believe in it."  
  
Kagome still looked at him with soft eyes. "But you're not yourself when you're around them. It's like you pretend! Aren't you lonely? Do you feel anything at all when you have sex with all those women?"  
  
Inu-yasha looked at her rather oddly. "Kagome, its just sex! I'm not making love to them!"  
  
Kagome was lost, and couldn't believe what her ears had heard. "How can you classify it like that? It's still being intimate with another person."  
  
Inu-yasha began to feel frustrated with all of this. "Intimacy has nothing to do with it!"  
  
Kagome leaned forward finding herself in a full-blown argument with him now. "You classify the most intimate experience in your life into sex and making love, but you stay you don't believe in love. How can there be two categories if you don't believe in the other one? It's still sex! It's still making love! They're one in the same, Inu-yasha!"  
  
The gigolo pulled his hand away from him and she took a step back. Kagome turned her head to the side and crossed her arms. "I shouldn't have bothered to ask!"  
  
"You're right!" he snapped, "You shouldn't have!"  
  
She looked at him as though he had just slapped her across the face. His glare was intense and focused on her. He looked up at the large clock that hung in the back of the hall, and then got to his feet.  
  
Kagome watched him as he got to his feet. She walked up to the stage's edge and watched as he picked up his shoes. "Where are you going?" she asked softly, wondering if he was leaving because he was mad.  
  
"I have a client! I'll meet you back here in two hours. Until then go over the steps!"  
  
He jumped off the back stage not looking at her once even as he said this. Inu-yasha stomped off and left Kagome alone in the hall by the edge of the stage.  
  
She found herself starting to cry at the fact that she had been so mean about the whole thing. Inu-yasha just didn't see things the way she did. She wished for just one second she could understand what kind of live he lived. Kagome wanted to just spend a moment in his shoes. No sex, but just the whole act entirely. He was so open with her. He didn't wear his mask around her. What kind of weight did that mask bare?  
  
Kagome whipped her tears and collected herself. "Get it together, Kagome! You've got work to do! When he gets back, he'll forget the whole thing ever happened and it will be okay again."  
  
She pulled herself on stage a tied her hair up in a bun after pulling all of her hair away from her face. Kagome walked to the starting place and began counting to herself silently each step and movement. As she got lost she thought about his words. "Kagome, its just sex! I'm not making love to them!"  
  
I don't get it, she thought to herself. How can he say they're not the same thing? What makes it so different?  
  
Kagome shook her head and forgot about the whole thing. She continued with her work and counting, until something in the back of the hall screeched and practically made her jump clean out of her skin.  
  
In the back stood a man dressed in black with long dark hair and slit like eyes. He was staring straight at Kagome and she took a hard gulp as the figure came into the stage light.  
  
"Ah, Kikyo! I thought it was you!"  
  
Kagome gasped and closed her eyes. He thinks I'm her! I have to act cool! Stay in control of the situation  
  
Kagome stood up straight and tried to pull off her best impersonation of Kikyo. "Can I help you?"  
  
The dark man came into view, and he had a sort of sly look in his eye. "Have you forgotten me all ready, Kikyo? Your Duke, Naraku?"  
  
Kagome felt shivers go down her spine, cold shivers. This almost didn't feel right, but she didn't lose her personality. "What are you doing here?"  
  
He grinned, "You said I could come here whenever I pleased to ask a favor from you."  
  
Kagome took a hard gulp and then turned away slightly from him. "I've been told to keep away from clients for sometime to focus on up coming events. I don't have time!" she lied.  
  
Naraku grinned with an odd malevolence behind it. She felt frightened, but she couldn't show fear. Stay in control.  
  
"I'm not looking for another night, Kikyo. I'm merely looking for a dinner date and perhaps a glass of wine back at my place. After that, you're free to leave whenever you feel it's right."  
  
Kagome thought about this for a moment. She could see the life of Inu- yasha and Kikyo through this experience and maybe understand what Inu-yasha is trying to tell me. I just need to stay in control of the situation.  
  
"When is it?"  
  
The duke grinned even wider now, "This evening, after your performance?"  
  
Kagome stood tall and nodded. "I'll meet you by the east entrance."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay! I'm stopping there, but don't worry I'm going to start writing the next chapter right after this is posted. Hope you're all wondering what's going to happen, because there won't be any hints to what is yet to come. I'll post the next chapter in a few days unless there's a bigger demand for it in the next twenty-four hours!  
  
See you soon! 


	7. El Tango de Roxanne Part 2

Disclaimer; The original characters in the based story are not mine and the characters that are originally in the series are not mine. Characters of my own creation are added to the story; otherwise the characters belong to the original author or creator.  
  
Well de Rouge Inu-yasha X Moulin Rouge Tale  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Yeah, I just posted the next chapter and was just too excited that I had to write the next part. Too much fun, it's like the best and worse part of the story because everything falls apart during the whole awakening moment. You'll get what I mean later on.  
  
Until then, Part 2!  
  
WARNING; For strong Language and a slight lime directed toward sexual desires against the others will.  
  
~~~~  
  
Chapter 7; El Tango de Roxanne Part 2  
  
Friday night came with all of its splendor and glory, and Kagome finished putting the final touches on her make up. She accented her eyes in red and black and straightened out her dress when there was a knock on the dressing room door.  
  
"Come in!"  
  
The door opened and a small furry face appeared close to the floor. "Shippo!" Kagome cried, and the little fox demon pup jumped up into her arms. She gave him a quick short hug and placed him down of a stool beside her. The tiny fox looked into her mirror. "You really look like the Mieko Diamond with all that make up on."  
  
Kagome grinned weakly. "That's the point!"  
  
The fox made a slight pout with his mouth and plopped down to put his bottom on the chair. "I think you're a lot prettier than the Mieko Diamond. You shouldn't try to hide it!"  
  
Kagome flushed a little at the compliment. If only she didn't look so much like Kikyo, maybe Inu-yasha wouldn't treat her like a toy on stage. She began to wonder what it felt like to dance with the real Inu-yasha. The one that didn't wear the mask, and the one that was open with her. Kagome wanted to know that dance.  
  
Shippo sighed, and then shook his tiny head. "Well, I'm sure Sango's gonna have kittens when she finds out I've been here."  
  
Kagome smiled at him, and pressed a kiss on his cheek. "It's okay! You didn't see any naked women, did you?"  
  
The little fox's eyes widened. "They have naked women running around here?"  
  
He was more surprised and shocked rather than interested. Kagome shook her head and led the little fox out.  
  
When she got back to the dressing room she pulled her dress forward to put the fake breasts in. Her dress was black tonight, and she planned on wearing it to her dinner date with Naraku and to do her dance routine.  
  
There was another knock on the door as she was putting her hair into place. "Come in!"  
  
The door opened, and he strolled into the room. His eyes were highlighted in black like the first time she had seen him. Inu-yasha's visible mask was back on, but even still, she could look deep into his eyes and still see him.  
  
Kagome felt her body tremble a bit. He was still giving her the same glare he had given her the last time she had seen him.  
  
"Inu-yasha, I'm sorry! I'm sorry I asked all those questions! Please, forgive me? I just don't understand it. I see things differently than you do. I'm only human. Please, forgive me?"  
  
The oddest thing about this whole plead was that her mouth was too dry to say it. It was like her mind was telling her to wait it out. Wait until he got better.  
  
Inu-yasha came over to her and looked over her dress, "I thought you were going to wear the other one?" he said rather sternly.  
  
Kagome took a hard gulp to clear her throat. If she told him about Naraku, she'd lose her chances of understanding the world through Inu-yasha's eyes.  
  
She thought of a good lie and quick. "I'm going to see an old friend of mine and I though since I'm meeting her in a fancy restaurant, I might as well wear a decent dress."  
  
Not like any of Kikyo's dresses were decent, but still the lie served its purpose. However, everything in her head was screaming at her to tell him the truth, but she had a mission. She wanted to figure it out! What was the difference between the two? Why was there a classification for the whole thing? Sex was sex wasn't it? It was still an intimate moment with another person.  
  
Inu-yasha looked her over one last time, his brow still firm. He took the bate with a slightly unsteady half smile. "Come on!"  
  
His voice was a bit calmer now, and Kagome let out a sigh of relief silently after she followed him out of the room.  
  
~~~~  
  
Kagome felt dizzy and insanely sick. As dancers, Inu-yasha had trust in her to keep in time, but as the talk that morning proved, he trusted her far more than just a dance partner. He didn't want to lie to him, she just had to find a way to understand, and in some stupid way she thought this was going to help it.  
  
Inu-yasha's eyes of desire looked like they were filled with anger. Just wait until he found out about Naraku. No! I can't find out about it! I can't let him spot anything or me! Kagome yelled to herself in her head.  
  
As the final dip came into their dance she pulled her neck back as Inu- yasha's face came dangerously close to her chest. She could still feel his hot breath on her skin as the curtain closed and he helped her back up. Kagome's eyes met his again, and this time her face showed her shame.  
  
The burning angry fire in Inu-yasha's yes suddenly went out in gray smoke. Kagome wanted to spill everything right there in front of him. She pulled herself away so that she couldn't confess a word. Inu-yasha's loss of anger proved she had told him too much all ready, and she hadn't said a word.  
  
Kagome walked off stage as fast as she could so she could get to the back stage and hope that she could make it to her dressing room to remove her make up before he started asking questions. She rushed to wipe away the heavy amounts of make up off her eyes, but she kept just enough on to still give the illusion of Kikyo.  
  
Without even bothering to knock or make any noise at all, Inu-yasha stormed through her door. "What the fuck is your problem?"  
  
She felt hurt by his curse. It felt like a knife stabbed her left breast and the blood was building up inside to make more pressure instead of pouring out.  
  
"I have to go!" she said with an unsteady voice.  
  
Kagome got to her feet to head for the door, but Inu-yasha grabbed hold of her arm before she could run from him again. "You're hiding something from me, I can see it in your eyes. Kagome, what's wrong?"  
  
Kagome pulled at her arm. "Let me go, please!"  
  
Inu-yasha ignored her, and pulled her closer. "What are keeping from me? Where are you going in such a rush that you can't talk to me for even a second?"  
  
Kagome felt like she had swallowed her tongue. "Please, just let me go!"  
  
He gripped her harder, "No! Talk to me! We've been talking about everything lately, why does this have to change now?"  
  
Kagome pulled on her arm, "You're hurting me! Let go!"  
  
"What's going on? Where are you really going?"  
  
Kagome couldn't think of a better thing to do that spill, but she had to figure this out. She needed to see things through his eyes. What made it different? Why did he have to wear his mask in front of all those women?  
  
Kagome couldn't pull free, and finally thought of the cruelest thing she could say to him. She shot him the dirtiest look possible, which looked like a cross between a bitch and a snake.  
  
"You have your own things to do too, don't you? I don't hold you back from fucking another woman. You have your own people to go screw around with, so instead of sticking your business in mine go stick it up some other bitch's ass!"  
  
Kagome felt like she had broken everything in her body. Her chest was killing her and her arm felt numb with pain.  
  
The look in his eyes was even heavier that before. Inu-yasha didn't know if he was hurt or angry or sad. He felt like Kagome had rejected everything. She was cold all of the sudden, and whatever it was that she was hiding; she didn't want him to know, period!  
  
He wanted to yell. He wanted to take her and tie her down to something and have her spill it. Inu-yasha didn't know what else to do. Without even really thinking, he merely let go of her arm. Kagome picked up a small handbag and left. She was gone faster than a lighting bolt it seemed.  
  
He felt like he could curl into a ball and die at that very moment. Inu- yasha's whole body felt weaker then it had ever been in his life, and because of that he stumbled back onto a closet door. What happened? What didn't make sense? At one moment she seemed to be so open minded to listen to him spill his heart out, and the next she acted like everything he told her meant nothing.  
  
A moment later, Sesshoumaru came into the dressing room. "There you are! Hurry up, your client can't get any older."  
  
Inu-yasha pushed himself forward. He'd show her! He'd shut her out of his mind now. Whatever Kagome was up to, Inu-yasha didn't care anymore. She didn't matter to him any more. Kagome was just another fake like the rest of them. She didn't care! He'd put his mask back on and wear it like a fortress of iron. Kagome would never get to him again.  
  
~~~~  
  
Dinner never tasted better, but Kagome could barely eat. All she could think about was what horrible things she said to Inu-yasha. Naraku had never seen this side of Kikyo before, and he was suspicious about the way she was acting.  
  
"Kikyo, Darling!" he said in a cool voice, and the cold shiver went down her spine again. It was official; this guy was creepy! How did Kikyo keep her cool in with this guy? He was like a ticking time bomb.  
  
"I'm just not hungry!" she failed to realize she had said it so casually. Naraku was taken back once more and raised on of his dark eyebrows skeptically. Kagome placed her fork down on her plate as it was taken away.  
  
Naraku paid for the food and led her to his cab. The whole ride was spent in silence. Kagome could only think of Inu-yasha and she didn't know why. Why was she thinking about him so much all of the sudden? She was supposed to try and understand his world during this experience.  
  
Suddenly, the cab came to a stop. Kagome looked out her window. "A hotel?"  
  
"Yes, my place, remember?"  
  
Kagome looked at him and smiled. He led her into the hotel and took out a key from his pocket. Something wasn't right about this, but Kagome was sure she still had control over the situation. As she walked down the hall she saw his room. "Inu-yasha's office" room 114!  
  
She wanted to kick the door as she passed it, but instead dared to press her ear to the door. There was movement, and a slightly audible sound of a woman. Her fears were confirmed only when she heard the woman's voice moan his name rather loudly.  
  
Kagome was going to be sick. How dare she! How dare she say his name like that! Doesn't he see it? Why doesn't he see it? Why doesn't he see it?  
  
This question repeated in her head until tears started streaming down her face. She was jealous! Jealous of all these unknown women who cried his name in dark places, that's what she was. How could he live like this?  
  
When Naraku opened the door to their room a few doors down, she rushed in to hide her tears. Her body felt so sick. She was going to puke.  
  
Naraku looked at her and waited a moment. His slit like eyes looking her over a few times before smirking, and he knew that he had her right where he wanted her. "Wine?"  
  
Kagome felt her stomach start to heave and she made out a weak, "Yes, of course!" before bolting to the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and waited for whatever was in her stomach to come up. It didn't.  
  
Meanwhile, Naraku poured two glasses of red wine, and as he placed the bottle down he reached into his pocket a pulled out an odd shaped capsule. He broke it, and shook its contents into one of the drinks. He swirled the white powered around in the drink and smirked with a slight laugh. "This will put her in the mood!"  
  
~~~~  
  
Sesshoumaru prowled around back stage waiting for all those in the last number of the night to get on stage. Only one was missing.  
  
Kouga made his why through the doors back stage and smiled at his employer before rushing up to the stage to take his place.  
  
Sesshoumaru glared at him and then signaled to his small band of musicians, "Cue curtain and begin El Tango de Roxanne"  
  
~~~~  
  
Inu-yasha and his female client stumbled out of the door. He had barely enough time to button up his dress shirt before she attacked him with an array of messy deep throat kisses. He stayed in character and let her take her fill as she giggled with each one.  
  
Suddenly, his nose caught the whiff of smoothing sweet and familiar. Inu- yasha inhaled the scent for a long time before feeling his lungs come to life. His heart was pounding like it was about to have an attack.  
  
He suddenly pictured her, and her lips. He thought they were pressed against his and he suddenly returned one of the kisses to her, but the kiss was empty. Empty like all the others.  
  
The woman pulled away, "What was that for? You've never done that before?"  
  
(It will drive you... Will drive you... Will drive you...  
  
MAD!!!)  
  
Inu-yasha panicked and swallowed. "What did I do?" he asked. Was that this vixens scent? He knew he had smelled it before. What did he just see? Who did he just think he kissed? He'd never returned a kiss in his life. Damn, who's scent been that?  
  
He led the woman to the front doors and out. She turned to him and giggled, "Good night!" she said as she slipped a roll of money in his jacket. Inu-yasha faked a smile as she caught a cab and drove away. He began to walk toward his home, but the scent in the hall pried at his memory.  
  
(*=Kouga, ^ = Inu-yasha)  
  
*Roxanne  
  
You don't have to put on that red light  
  
Walk the streets for money  
  
You don't care if it is wrong or if it is right.  
  
Roxanne  
  
You don't have to wear that dress tonight!  
  
Roxanne  
  
You don't have to sell your body to the night. *  
  
Inu-yasha stopped after taking two steps toward home, and then spying a rather beautiful cab beside him. It smelled of something fowl though. Something tainted and not right. Yet there was another scent. The same scent in the hallway, but whose scent was that?  
  
He knew it somewhere, and her face kept haunting him, but it was blurry. He made out some things though. Her hair was ebony black, and her eyes a bluish-brown. Then her lips, lips that he wanted to press against his own, but he had not wanted this before. The picture in his head of them formed a smile, a warm simple smile. Then, they changed and he heard words. "How can you classify sex into two categories and not believe in the other?"  
  
Kagome!  
  
Then, who's scent been this? The fowl scent that was tainted was what was wrong. Could this be what she was hiding from him? Another man? No, it couldn't be! She'd been practicing with him all week.  
  
Still, the picture that came to mind horrified him. He didn't like the look of this one at all.  
  
^His eyes upon your face  
  
His hand upon your hand  
  
His lips caress you skin  
  
It's more than I can stand^  
  
(Roxanne)  
  
^Why does my heart hide  
  
(Roxanne)  
  
Feelings I can't fight  
  
You're be free to love me  
  
But just don't deceive me  
  
And please  
  
Believe me when I say, "I love you!"^  
  
Inu-yasha's heart skipped a beat. Did he actually say that...he loved her? Was it really love? No, love isn't real, he fought in his head.  
  
...Still, her lips, her touch, and the look in her eyes, all make him feel different. He could be himself around her. He could just be Inu-yasha, and not some sex crazed "Half Karat Diamond".  
  
Oh gods, was this it? Was this the feeling that he didn't believe in?  
  
No he didn't believe in it. It wasn't real! It was something bad, something that could tear him apart...but Kagome... "Kagome!"  
  
~~~~  
  
She finally pushed herself out of the bathroom after discovering there was nothing her stomach could get rid of.  
  
"Here!" Naraku handed her her glass red wine. She downed it in three gulps and slammed the glass down.  
  
How could he? How could he just push it all aside? What was the difference? Sex? Making love?  
  
They were the same!  
  
Kagome suddenly felt Naraku's hands on her shoulders. "Kikyo, dear, are you all right?"  
  
Kagome didn't know he was even touching her. Her mind was far too caught up in Inu-yasha's feelings. He had feelings when he didn't wear the mask, how could he ignore them while in bed with those...those whores?  
  
Naraku saw her tears and decided that he'd make his move now. He moved to press his dry lips to her bare shoulder and then suddenly upward toward her neck.  
  
Inu-yasha flooded her mind, and suddenly her mind was so infatuated with him, that her mind started playing tricks on her. His hands and those eyes, something about those eyes made her body flush with warmth. They reflected his every move, his every thought.  
  
She suddenly was dreaming about his lips, the lips that almost touched hers today. Why did she stop him? Why did she even ask that question?  
  
Her body trembled as something played with her mind, and somehow she could feel Inu-yasha's lips on her neck, but they lacked the warmth and knee buckling feeling she imagined them to have. No, these kisses were cold and empty, but something was pleasing her neck or at least trying to.  
  
Kagome jumped. "What are you doing?"  
  
Naraku curved his face up to hers like a snake ready to strike. "Give me your body again, Kikyo! I want your body, again."  
  
Kagome got to her feet and refused, "No! You said this was just a dinner and--"  
  
Suddenly, Kagome's head started pounding, and her heart was beating furiously. Something wasn't right! Her vision began to blur and her whole body felt like she had been going in circles for hours.  
  
Naraku approached her, "I want you!"  
  
Kagome pushed him away, but he grabbed hold of the front of her dress, and it tore the middle of her black gown. He fell back and looked at two mounds on the floor. Kagome realized that she had placed the fake breasts between the dress and her corset and underwear.  
  
Her head was pounding, and her chest hurt. Everything was a blur, but she could make out her criminal's form. He looked at the mounds and then at her. He grabbed her hair and she screamed, as her hair was being pulled out of its bun and flowed over her shoulders to expose her.  
  
Naraku stood dumb founded. "You're not Kikyo!"  
  
Kagome stumbled back and her heel tripped on the black skirt or the dress. She fell back but landed on something soft. Her blur vision was of no help, but she confirmed it as the hotel room's bed. 'No!' she thought.  
  
Kagome heard something growl out of the corner Naraku was in, and felt hands strip her of the rest of the dress.  
  
"No! Please, stop! Don't!" she cried.  
  
Suddenly a blurred figure pinned her, and she screamed. "I'll show you! You think this is a game, girl. I'll make a woman out of you yet and make sure you know what you're getting into."  
  
His words made her cry, as she felt him start to strip his clothing off of his body.  
  
Kagome was scared, and didn't know when or how she had lost control of the situation, but she had. No, one could help her. She was drugged or something, and no help was in sight.  
  
She thought of him, and wondered why she hadn't told him. Why did she refuse to tell anyone? What make her think this would work?  
  
Where was he when she needed him?  
  
Kagome screamed looked around for anything, and her vision blurry as it was found a glass vase. She kicked Naraku off of her, and smashed vase across his head. He fainted from the blow, and the loud thud confirmed it.  
  
She felt her heart pounding, and she pushed herself to the other side of the bed to get to the other side of the floor. She felt so weak, so scared.  
  
She wanted him! She needed him, now!  
  
Suddenly she couldn't take it anymore, and curled into a ball. Her throat gave out and she choked his name. "Inu-yasha!"  
  
~~~~  
  
He came up the stairwell and looked down the hall he had smelled her scent. She was here with that other scent, and his heart was pounding with fear. She couldn't have...could she?  
  
Inu-yasha's heart pounded as he prowled the scent like a tiger on the hunt. As it got stronger it seemed to be tainted with something.  
  
Danger! She was in danger!  
  
His heartbeat sped up as he inhaled her sweet scent and the fowl one engulfing it. 'No! No, he can't have her!'  
  
He reached the door covered in that fowl stench, and pound the door with his fists. "Kagome?"  
  
No answer!  
  
His body filled with hormones, and he threw his body into the door. It came down with one loud bag, and he saw her stripped of the dress in a heap on the floor.  
  
"No! Oh, no!" he pleaded.  
  
He removed his jacket and rapped her body in it as prying eyes poked around to spy what the commotion was so late at night.  
  
Inu-yasha picked up her feeble body, "Kagome?" he said.  
  
She didn't open her eyes, but her mouth moved. "Inu..." her voice trailed off, and her hand clutched his shirt trying to find the reality.  
  
Inu-yasha smelled the drug in her slight breath, and dodged out of the room and out of the hotel.  
  
*Roxanne  
  
^Why does my heart hide  
  
* You don't have to put on that red light  
  
^Feelings I can't fight  
  
* You don't have to wear that dress tonight!  
  
*Roxanne  
  
(Why does my heart hide)  
  
* You don't have to put on that red light  
  
(Feelings I can't fight)  
  
* You don't have to wear that dress tonight!  
  
*Roxanne  
  
Inu-yasha ran full speed into the Well de Rouge his heart pounding against the hand that clutched his shirt. Now it was loosing its grip as he reached the stage. Kouga and the girls and gigolos dancing with him parted like the Red Sea as he ran from the dance floor and up straight through the stage.  
  
Kouga fell back at he sang a hollering *Roxanne  
  
Inu-yasha jumped down from the stage and through the backdrop curtain. He bolted through the doors to his room. Everything felt like slow motion as he reached his bedroom door. Everyone was gasping in fear and shock as they spied Kagome in Inu-yasha's arms.  
  
As the doorknob was just in reach Inu-yasha's hope began to fail. Kagome lost her grip on his shirt, her last bit of strength gone as her hand fell limply at her side like it was dead.  
  
Inu-yasha gasped for air as his hand touched the doorknob and he fell on his back against the door.  
  
Through the halls you could hear him howl a bone-chilling name, "Kagome!!!"  
  
Sesshoumaru came through his door and found him in his state with Kagome in his arms. He called down the hall. "Don't just stand there! Fetch the doctor at once!"  
  
Inu-yasha looked at the girl in his arms. She looked like she was dead, but her heart was pounding and her breathing was hyperactive.  
  
He brought her face to his and pressed his lips to her ear as fiery tears began to form in his eyes. Now one else could hear his words as everyone ran screaming at one another to fetch the doctor and anything they could do. Inu-yasha shut them all out, and all he could hear was his own voice. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry I hurt you! I'm sorry I brought you into this world! Just please don't die like this. Please hold on, Kagome! Don't die before I can tell you." Inu-yasha kissed her eyes strewn in runny make up, but he didn't care for his eyes were covered in the same tears of fear. "Don't die before I can tell you. I believe it now. I believe it's real...and I want to share it with you. Please live so I can share it with you. Just you! Only you! ...I love you!"  
  
~~~~~  
  
I'm not going to say much. I'm just leaving it there! I just don't want to break the mood.  
  
See you soon! 


	8. Your Song

Disclaimer; The original characters in the based story are not mine and the characters that are originally in the series are not mine. Characters of my own creation are added to the story; otherwise the characters belong to the original author.  
  
Well de Rouge an Inu-yasha X Moulin Rouge Tale  
  
~~~~  
  
I wrote my last chapter late into the night, and as I was going to bed I acted out this one a little. I wanted to think of all of the things Inu- yasha would want to say while Kagome wasn't aware of anything around her. It came to the point that I acted out his feelings so well, I ended up really pushing tears...I went to bed wiping them away say, yeah I think I got it.  
  
Call me crazy but that's how you need to do it sometimes, because you don't know how to explain something unless you put yourself in the situation. You don't, it's not real! That's good advice! Emotions are important, and some you can't explain until you're in your characters situation.  
  
Anyway, saw all my reviews in my e-mail and I freaked out! So I'm summing it up here! Okay, folks, calm down the story still has a long way to go before it's done. You'll get your "Come What May" and "The Show Must Go On" (Actually, I need the words to that song because it's not on my soundtrack. So, if I can have that sight again it would be great. Thank you!) Oh, and no folks, Kagome did not get raped. She almost did, but do you honestly think I'd be that cruel? The girls already gonna loose the love of her life, I wouldn't dream of putting her through anything else. I'd feel horrible if Naraku did that to me.  
  
Okay, before you all freak out, here's chapter 8. Now, you breath cause it's going to be long!  
  
~~~~  
  
Chapter 8; Your Song  
  
The doctor came as soon as possible, and when he got to the Well de Rouge he immediately dismissed everyone from the room. Inu-yasha couldn't bear the few minutes that felt like hours. He wanted to watch her like a hawk and make sure that doctor wasn't touching her in ways his mind haunted him with.  
  
He realized he had not seen the one that did this to her. Who could do such a thing to a beautiful creature like her? Inu-yasha wished she could speak to him, and tell him everything so he could hunt the bastard down and rip him to shreds. Why did he pick Kagome? Why didn't he stop kissing his client and follow the scent down the hall? If only he had been there a bit sooner! If only he had blew down the door five minutes earlier when he had the chance, she might have been better. She might have been alive and warm; and, above all things, safe in his arms instead of this doctors hands.  
  
He was going insane not knowing what was going on behind the door to his quarters, but he wasn't morning alone. Sesshoumaru leaned against his door a smoked his pipe like a factory. Inu-yasha sat with his back to the wall opposite of his door so he could stare at the close door. Miroku and Sango stood beside each other while she wept silently.  
  
Other gigolos and courtesans sat or stood, leaning against the hallway walls. Some smoking a cigarette or cigar, others holding their Christian crosses they kept hidden in their garments. A few were religious, but none really followed their faith since they worked in a "sin world". They didn't care though; most prayed their sins away or confessed in churches in the area to their priest.  
  
Shippo sat by a pair of shoes, belonging to Kouga. He was so sad about the whole thing that he had pleaded with the wolf to give him his shoes to polish since this was what made him close to Kagome during that point in time. The wolf leaned against the wall not far from the half-breed. Kouga inhaled some of the smoke from a cigarette he shared with a fellow gigolo, and stared at him.  
  
Inu-yasha's tears were still streaming down his face, and Kouga took his chances at playing with his weakness thinking it would lighten the mood of his limited company. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you cared about that girl too much. You look like a girl sitting over there in your little corner crying your eyes out. She's a stand in, not the real Kikyo, for crying out loud. If it were the real one we'd probably be a lot more worried then we are now."  
  
Some snickered just because of the truth behind it. Inu-yasha didn't find this amusing at all and got to his feet, and slapped his fellow gigolo across the face. "Wake up, you idiot! Do you honestly think because she's just a stand in that she's any less of a person?"  
  
The wolf touched his hot cheek and looked at the half-breed as he loosened his jaw. "You know what Kikyo would say in situations like these? She'd tell all of us that she's just a girl. And girls believe in finding that one perfect person who will love them forever. Then, there are woman who know that men only want one thing, and that as soon as their done with you, you're gone. That's what your dance partner got to experience tonight. Perhaps this place will make a woman out of her yet."  
  
Inu-yasha growled and clenched his fists. "Yeah, Kikyo does say that a lot, doesn't she? She's the woman of women to us all. Yet you know what? She has her weaknesses to, just like we all do. I'm sure if that were she right now, in that room, she'd be alive and safe. Still, she'd be with a man who would only want her body.  
  
"So, tell me? If you and Kikyo know so much about women, why didn't you try to stop her before she made this mistake? Why didn't she tell you, or any of us for that matter, where she was going, or whom she was with?  
  
"To be honest I think it takes one really strong girl to pull off a stunt like that. Stupid, but strong! And that's was we all don't have. The strength to face what's really out there? To look a woman or man in the eye and tell them that they can't have our body, no way! Our bodies are their pleasure. That's all they buy is a moments pleasure. So, what's so manly or feminine about that when they don't vie for a 'real man' or a 'real woman', and only our pleasure? We don't say 'no'; we just accept it was it is. We're not men or women! We're toys in the dark. Toys made for pleasure, and we deal with it because we think we were above all of it."  
  
Inu-yasha's voice raised in volume now and everyone was looking at him and Kouga. The wolf's face was turning a sort of ugly green and red.  
  
"But you saw that girl during the end of your number. That's a girl would said 'no' and might die because of it. Would we risk our lives to refuse something we didn't want? No, we deal with it! Why? Because we're 'men' and 'women' and we're above all that. We don't believe in any of that. We're 'men'!"  
  
Inu-yasha's eyes glowed slightly pink around his gold spheres as he turned back to Kouga. Miroku and Sesshoumaru watched to make sure Inu-yasha didn't snap, but the half-breed let up on him. "I'll tell you what I see. I see a bunch of human and demonic souls lost in their own stubborn pride to realize that this has happened before. It just never happened to someone who wasn't part of us. And if Kikyo were here right now, I'd tell her how much of a 'woman' she really is. Because as far as I can tell, the only real woman in this whole building, is the one with a drug overdose and a needle in her arm. The one who said 'no' to all of it because she believed in something better.  
  
"I won't strip her of her pride while she's down. I won't push myself any lower than I all ready am. We do the devil's work in the night and we say we don't give a damn. Well, ya know what? She did a lot of that work, and when it came to the pit of it all, she looked at it and said, 'bite me!'"  
  
Kouga flashed a direct stare at Inu-yasha suddenly, as his words were thrown back in his face. Inu-yasha glared at him for a moment longer, and then lumbered off to the place he was sitting in earlier, waiting for the doctor to open the door.  
  
Sango came to his side and placed her hand on his shoulder. Inu-yasha looked up at her face, and caught her smile beaming with how proud she was of him. Miroku showed no less in his either.  
  
Inu-yasha grinned weakly only to direct his attention to the door again. Kagome's scent soaked through the door and touched his nose. It was weak, and lacked the sweetness it once had. She was better though, just not alive.  
  
Finally, after what felt like eternity, the door opened and Inu-yasha lifted his tear stained face and Sesshoumaru turned in along with the rest of them. The doctor looked at all of them, and then looked at the small crowd that was closest to the door.  
  
"Doctor?" Sesshoumaru asked sternly.  
  
The man stood in his black straight jacket, and stuck his hands in his pockets. "I've done all I can for her. She's having difficulty breathing and her heart rate is still, too fast. I can't do anything else for her."  
  
Inu-yasha's head lowered in pain as his chest hurt with an intensity he never thought he'd feel. The doctor sighed lightly as Inu-yasha squeezed his eyes shut for a moment to rid the new tears forming. He opened them and looked back up at the man. "Will she wake up? Can she get through this?"  
  
The doctor folded his hands. "I'm sure she can if we watch her carefully. The slightest change in her heartbeat could be fatal at this point, but I have doubt that it will go that far. All we can do is wait for the drug to pass."  
  
Sango felt Miroku squeeze her hand, as he turned to the doctor. "Can we see her?"  
  
The doctor cleared his throat slightly, "Well, yes, but four at a time please."  
  
Sesshoumaru was the first to enter the door and Miroku and Sango followed. Shippo made a mad dash for the door, but Sango stopped him. "No, Shippo! You're still too young!"  
  
Shippo slumped back to the ground and pouted sadly. He then turned to Inu- yasha as he looked at the door. "How about you go first?" he whimpered.  
  
The half-breed looked at the door and felt his heart pound against his chest, wondering if he set foot in his own room, Kagome would miraculously awaken. He slowly entered the room as the door closed behind him. Kouga let out a good snort, "Stupid half-breed!"  
  
"Awe, shut up!" Shippo cried as he looked at the door with tears of his own.  
  
In the intervening time, behind the door in Inu-yasha's chamber, Inu-yasha himself stood before his own bed looking at Kagome who looked as though her body was in a deathlike sleep. She looked so cold with only her underwear on. He wanted to throw himself over her body and let his body warm her.  
  
The doctor cleaned his throat. "I didn't want to say this to the young one, but she also had a very high fever. It's best to keep her cool."  
  
Sesshoumaru looked her over. Kagome's cheeks were stained with the runny eye make-up still and her hair was a mess. "What else can we do?"  
  
The doctor began to pack his things. "Clean her up, get her into some cooler clothing, and have someone stay at her bedside." His bag closed with a loud snap that made Inu-yasha jump.  
  
He picked up his supplies and head for the door. "All you can so now is wait...and pray. Call me if anything changes."  
  
Inu-yasha looked at Kagome and touched her the hand that had griped his shirt before she lost consciousness. The doctor closed the door behind the doctor as Sesshoumaru cleared his throat. "I'll call Kaede and get her cleaned up. Who will share their bedside manner with her for the first night?"  
  
Inu-yasha looked at Kagome's face stricken with black dried tears, the scars of her fear. "I'll stay with her! After all she's in my room and got her into this. I stay with her!"  
  
Miroku placed his hand on Inu-yasha's shoulder, "This wasn't your fault. It could have happened to anyone."  
  
Inu-yasha's eyes shed two new tears. "Anyone, but it was her!"  
  
Miroku lowered his head and sighed heavily. He turned to Sango as she came to Kagome's side to touch her face. She sniffled and muffled her sobs, and Miroku decided it was best to take Sango home. They left with Sesshoumaru as he went to fetch Kaede. The door closed and Inu-yasha was left with Kagome once more in his room.  
  
He grabbed his favorite chair and pulled it over to his bedside, and took a seat beside her. Inu-yasha leaned forward looking over her body. His hand touched her arm as he ran his fingers down her soft pale skin. He got to her hand and clutched it gently in his hand.  
  
With the other hand, Inu-yasha brushed her disheveled ebony locks away form her face. His tears started to flow even more now, and two fell on her stained cheek. He wiped the tears away, washing her stained cheek.  
  
"You remember this place? It's where I met you for the first time." He laughed at his foolishness knowing that she couldn't hear him. "Even then I was a jerk for not looking at you again. I was too consumed with anger after Kikyo left. I get you could say we were freebies with one another, but we never really cared."  
  
Inu-yasha found himself spilling his heart out once again. He let his thumb smooth the back of her hand in tiny circles. Finally he couldn't stand it anymore, and he sat on his bed to pick her up and hold her close to him. Her head was burning, along with the rest of her body. Inu-yasha pressed her almost lifeless body to his chest and held her as he sobbed.  
  
"You come back to me, you hear! I swear I'll find who did this to you and kill him. I just can live without you...my heart can't dance without you."  
  
He picked Kagome's face up Just slightly to look at her stained face. "Please come back to me! I don't want to be alone anymore. I just want you back in my arms, back in my life...always. You have to pull through this Kagome. Otherwise..."  
  
The palm of his hand touched her cheek as his tears washed one side of her face. He sobbed through his teeth, and he opened his eyes to see if her eyes would open. They didn't.  
  
He closed them, and let his tears continue to cleanse her cheek. "Otherwise, I'll never know what if feels like to kiss you. Don't leave me before you can show me what this feeling can do. Don't leave me and I can share it with you. I'll share it all with you, just you. Please, Kagome!"  
  
He opened his eyes and wondered if she had heard anything. Maybe she did, and maybe she didn't.  
  
He laid her back down in his bed, and whipped the cheek now stained with his tears. Her face look as though was half clean, and half tainted. Inu- yasha would never have her wear that mask again. He'd never compare her to Kikyo again. Kagome was far different from her.  
  
Kikyo was a cold, numb, courtesan. Kagome was a warm, lively, woman. A woman who could make his spine tingles from her warm smile and her contagious laugh. She'd never face that world again as long as he lived.  
  
"No matter what, Kagome. I'll die before I let anything happen to you again," he vowed before pressing his lips to her cheek. Her lips were tempting as they opened just slightly, but he could wait until she was alive again. He would wait until she could kiss him back and return everything she couldn't put into her kiss now.  
  
She was the greatest thing that ever happened to him, and he wasn't about to lose that now. Not when she was like this. When Kagome could talk again, then Inu-yasha would live again. Until then, they would both be dead.  
  
~~~~  
  
Morning came with a vengeance in its morning rays. Inu-yasha, however, slept silently at Kagome's bedside. He had turned to his side and propped one leg over an armrest and laid back in the crevasse of the chair's back and side. His white shirt hung open loosely and he had unbuttoned the cuffs of his sleeve. Kagome was on her side and one hand was on his thigh with his hand over it.  
  
She was cleaned up, and her hair combed once more. Kaede had made sure her face was clean and was clothed coolly, but still enough that Inu-yasha could stay in the same room with her. The corset was gone and she wore a simple feminine under shirt and a short petty coat, both pure white.  
  
When the sun's rays entered the room Inu-yasha felt it's warmth and awoke with a loud yawn. He opened his eyes and looked at Kagome, only this time the sun touched her white undergarments and made the white reflect the light. She looked like an angel glowing with all her beauty and elegance. Inu-yasha couldn't help but smile as she lay in his bed glowing like the heavenly creature she was in his eyes. She never looked more beautiful, more pure up to this point.  
  
Inu-yasha felt the need to stretch and he placed the small, soft hand on his thigh by the other one. He smoothed his hand across her face and pushed himself out of his chair and walked over to the center of his room to extend his arms. He moved his middle table and chair to the side and out of the center, and began doing minor stretches in his legs and back.  
  
When he finally felt limber enough, he walked out to his balcony window as the air rushed into the room. He walked out to the edge and looked over the city for a moment. Inu-yasha turned to his record player by his side and played the music to his song. He took a deep breath of morning city air, and stood up straight to center his weight.  
  
*My gift is my sorrow... *  
  
Inu-yasha belted from the pit of his stomach, and grinned as he looked back into his room as his sleeping angel.  
  
*...And this one's for you  
  
And you can tell everybody  
  
That this is your song  
  
It maybe quite simple but  
  
Now that it's done  
  
I hope you don't mind  
  
I hope you don't mind  
  
That I put down in words  
  
How wonderful life is  
  
Now you're in the world. *  
  
Inu-yasha walked back into his room and walked around on his bedroom's center carpet. His feet shuffled a bit as he smiled once more at the fact he felt like a kid once again.  
  
He looked up at the ceiling and then back to at Kagome.  
  
*Sat on the roof  
  
And I kicked off the moths  
  
Well some of these verses, well they...  
  
They got me quite cross  
  
But the sun's been kind  
  
While I wrote this song  
  
It for people like you that  
  
Keep it turned on*  
  
He turned to his jacket and grabbed it off its hanger, and took it by the sleeves. He acted as though it was a dance partner, but more to the point he acted as though it were Kagome in his arms again.  
  
*So excuse me forgetting  
  
But these things I do  
  
You see I've forgotten if they're  
  
Green or they're blue! *  
  
Inu-yasha dropped one of the sleeves and hooked his arm around the back. However, due to his hollering note, something stirred slightly in his bed.  
  
*And, well the thing is...  
  
What I really mean...  
  
Yours are the sweetest stars  
  
I've ever seen*  
  
Inu-yasha began to dance like a kid once more with his jacket. He went in circles and smiled like he couldn't help but get the picture of Kagome's smile out of his mind.  
  
One, two, three, four...awe to heck with it all. The music was there in his head and he just danced to it.  
  
He was so caught up in his dance that he failed to notice Kagome's eyes had widened in awe of how beautiful he looked. His silver wisps of hair moving in the air, and the sunlight reflecting a golden shine off of his unbuttoned dress shirt made him look so...like I said, beautiful. His dancing amazed her and made her giggle silently as she tried to not have him catch her. She wanted to watch him make a slight fool out of himself, and all that golden light making him glow was too much to pry her eyes away from.  
  
Inu-yasha continued his dancing with his jacket and smiling. Kagome loved his smile, and the warm tingle it gave her body. Her heart maintained its normal heartbeat when she had awoken, but now it was pounding with joy against her chest.  
  
* And you can tell everybody  
  
That this is your song  
  
It maybe quite simple but  
  
Now that it's done*  
  
Inu-yasha stopped and he was facing the direction where Kagome lay in his bed giggling and smiling. He held his cost close to him.  
  
*I hope you don't mind  
  
I hope you don't mind  
  
That I put down in words... *  
  
He suddenly heard a soft laugh and turned his eye to his bed. Kagome gasped at the fact she was caught, but couldn't help, but smile. She attempted to hide it behind her face, but she couldn't. She ended up hiding half of her face in his pillow with her eyes closed.  
  
He grinned with a mixed feeling of happiness, and embarrassment. He tossed his coat aside and looked at her.  
  
*How wonderful life is  
  
Now you're in the world. *  
  
Inu-yasha prowled up to her bedside as she rolled over on back with her guilty, but warm smile.  
  
*I hope you don't mind  
  
I hope you don't mind  
  
That I put down in words... *  
  
He leaned down and over her as she smiled with him. Inu-yasha pushed his arm between her back and his bed, and the other found her knees. She smiled as he picked her up and out of bed. Kagome placed her hands on his shoulders and the smoothed on over his chest while the other smoothed its path to the back of his neck.  
  
Inu-yasha looked into Kagome's eyes. *How wonderful life is... *  
  
Suddenly, his smile filled with mischief, and his eyes widened a bit.  
  
*...Now you're in the world! *  
  
As Inu-yasha held his last note, he began to spin around with Kagome still in his arms. She screamed for a second since her other hand was against his chest. It quickly move to hold on it his neck as she closed her eyes and laughed and screamed playfully as he spun her around in his circles.  
  
He finally stopped as the record's song started to come to an end. Kagome's smile couldn't have been brighter in the golden morning light and her eyes were closed as she tried to rid herself of the dizzies.  
  
Kagome finally opened her eyes as Inu-yasha's smile came into view again. "Good morning, Kagome!" he said, with a gentle growl in the back of his throat.  
  
Kagome felt him bring her fore head close to his as he sighed in content as she let out one last small giggle. He did to as he felt her body flush with warmth and life. Gods, now she looked...well, if there were a word that summed up everything for a heavenly, beautiful, angel, then that would have to be the way he described her at that moment.  
  
Kagome closed her eyes, and he caught his breath and closed his as well to absorb the life her body was giving off all of the sudden. She was so perfect in Inu-yasha's arms at that moment.  
  
Suddenly, she felt her hand touch his cheek as the other touched his hear to feel it beat against her palm.  
  
"Am I in heaven? Am I dead?" she asked in a soft and almost unrecognizable voice.  
  
Inu-yasha's opened his eyes and snorted a single laugh. "You're far from dead!"  
  
He waited until she became content again, and closed her eyes. Inu-yasha opened his as his smile disappeared just slightly. "But..."  
  
Kagome groaned. "But what?" she mumbled.  
  
Inu-yasha placed her on her feet while her arms still remained around his neck. "Inu-yasha?"  
  
Kagome looked into his soft warm golden eyes. They were filled with something she had not seen in his eyes before, and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Whatever it was in his eyes, it made her heart race, and the feeling in her body and soul was amazing.  
  
Inu-yasha's blood boiled with the urge to kiss her now, but he didn't know if she shared the same feelings. He's have to wait until he was sure that the feeling was being returned.  
  
"But I'm sure, that it's close to heaven."  
  
Kagome's smile returned and then his did as well. He pressed his forehead to hers and held her close to him. Kagome didn't mind this, did she? Even her heart was unsure. Yet, after the events of what she had been through went through her mind, this embrace was warm and inviting. This was better! This was perfect!  
  
"You're lying!" she mumbled. Inu-yasha opened his eyes as she caught him off guard. His eyes opened to look into hers. She smiled and closed her eyes again. "Just being with you, like this...this is heaven!"  
  
Inu-yasha beamed and felt his heart pound. 'Oh, Kagome! Just knowing you're alive is enough to know I'm in heaven.'  
  
Kagome felt his arms hold her a moment longer. 'This is heaven! When you're here with me like this, it's enough. It's enough to be with you. Just you! ...I love you.'  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Once again! Nothing is going to happen to Kagome, okay? She didn't get raped! Be happy! Love, fluff, and all that jazzy stuff are coming now. BE HAPPY!!!  
  
Oh, and don't worry about the ending. It will be sad yes that Inu-yasha has to die in the end, BUT I promise a tears of joy ending. Just stick with me folks! Trust the author, here! I know what I'm doing!  
  
See you next time! 


	9. The Man Behind the Demon

Disclaimer; The original characters in the based story are not mine and the characters that are originally in the series are not mine. Characters of my own creation are added to the story; otherwise the characters belong to the original author or creator.  
  
Well de Rouge Inu-yasha X Moulin Rouge Tale  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I am so sick of my brother making a fuss over the fact I don't have the swords Tetseiga and Tenseiga playing any major part in my story. Do any of you have a problem with that? Tell him to shut up about it because he won't shut up when I tell him to. : D  
  
Okay, I hope you are all happy that Kagome is just fine and that you're all a bit calmer than you were before I posted that last chapter.  
  
Now, the romance builds! So, before I spill it, lets begin.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 9; The Man Behind the Demon  
  
Sesshoumaru smoked his pipe with a rather content look on his face as he sat in his office looking over a few things. Even though his face looked content, there was a fire in his eyes that was all but pleasant and content.  
  
He finished his smoke and emptied the pipe in a dish to let the tobacco ash go out in the hot open air. Sesshoumaru placed his pipe aside when a knock came at the door. The dog demon put his papers down and sat up in his chair as he got to his feet. "Come!"  
  
The door opened, and Inu-yasha stuck his head in and closed the door behind him after he entered. He wore a clean black silk dress shirt with his dance practice pants and old shoes. Inu-yasha's silver mane was also bound in a white ribbon tied just below his shoulders.  
  
Inu-yasha stuck his hands in his pockets and looked around the green room with a painting of his father handing over the wall opposite of Sesshoumaru's desk. He looked at him for a moment and wondered if he had the same feelings for his mother as he did for Kagome. Perhaps it was in his blood, and Inu-yasha liked it.  
  
Sesshoumaru came over to his comfortable chair and relit his pipe after refilling it. He pointed to the seat opposite of him and Inu-yasha slumped into the chair, putting one leg up on the armrest. Sesshoumaru took a swig of his pipe and placed it down on the coffee table between them in a tin ashtray.  
  
"Did you know about this?"  
  
Inu-yasha ran his hand over one of his arms. "Know what?"  
  
Sesshoumaru pounded his fist against his chair and the floor shook. "Confound it, Inu-yasha! You're the one who dances with the girl night and day. You've been with her for a week. No, more than a week starting today! Don't tell me you don't know a thing about what happened last night."  
  
His voice had a slight growl in it and his eyes were starting to glow a pink color.  
  
Inu-yasha looked at him with his brow narrowed. "Are you inquiring me about who drugged Kagome? I don't know a thing about it! She didn't tell me anything about it last night or anything this morning."  
  
Sesshoumaru groaned and threw his hand into his own silver tress. "You didn't see anything did you? You're so blind!"  
  
Inu-yasha snorted in disgust. "I didn't see the guy, I swear! When I found Kagome, I didn't look to see if there was anyone else in the room."  
  
Sesshoumaru placed his hand over his eyes and pressed his temples with two of that hand's fingers. "Does she remember his name?"  
  
Inu-yasha leaned forward. "She's still recovering from it all, Ses. Do you really think I'm going to try and pry the memory from her head?"  
  
"It be more helpful if the memory is still fresh."  
  
Inu-yasha growled, "Damn you! How can you act like this?"  
  
Sesshoumaru kicked the coffee table over and leaned in to his brother's face clutching hold of his shirt. "You are blind, aren't you? Didn't you see the girl when you picked her up? Her hair wasn't up, and Kaede in formed me that the implants have gone missing. Inu-yasha, this man found her out! The cat is out of the bag, and probably yowling in the street. Do you have any idea what will happen to business if that man talks?"  
  
Inu-yasha found his memory flashing, and he discovered Sesshoumaru's word were true. Everything he had done to make her look like Kikyo, her hair, breasts, and make-up.  
  
"Then, if the clients find out, we'll just tell them the truth. She's a stand in!"  
  
Sesshoumaru snorted and turned away from his brother. "Sure! Then, what? They'll all wonder if they slept with Kikyo or a stand in. They'll think they didn't get what they paid for, and they'll rebel. They'll close this place down, and you'll be on the streets like the rest of us."  
  
Inu-yasha took a hard gulp, and closed his eyes for a moment.  
  
"What do we do?"  
  
Sesshoumaru exhaled heavily. "We lie low, and pray Kikyo returns. This man won't talk if he knows what's good for him. After all people will wonder how he found out, and his head will go down with the rest of us." He turned around and stared at Inu-yasha as he got to his feet. "I want you to keep an eye on her. If this man tries to silence her, there might be no way out of this. We can claim he was drunk, or find other excuses. However, if it is a client...we may have to be more cautious then we are right now."  
  
Sesshoumaru walked back to his desk and took a seat. "Luckily for you, the next seven days aren't booked. It will mean no money, but you'll have a chance to watch her, and see what you can pry out of her memory. When Kikyo returns, I want to make sure nothing happens to her.  
  
"Besides," he said as he looked up at him, "you have that playwrights musical to rehearse."  
  
~~~~  
  
Inu-yasha walked out to the hall and stomped his feet on the stage. He looked out to the dance floor that was now being temporary renovated with chairs to hold an audience. Even the stage was being extended a bit further out, with the addition of a small catwalk.  
  
'I can't believe it, seven days and no pay? It's like a week extension including my one night off.'  
  
Suddenly, Miroku approached him. "There you are! Here!" he said handing him a few sheets of paper with printing. "These are your lines for the show. You will be playing the princess's lover, whom is distraught over her death..."  
  
Miroku seemed to talk on and on about his part, but he all ready knew whom he was playing and all of the things he was doing. None of this came as a surprise to him. Miroku had all ready handed him the entire script to read over.  
  
There was music to go over still, but something lacked in the romance, and Miroku knew it. The best part about playing this though, was that he would be dancing with Kagome if Kikyo were not back by next Friday night.  
  
Miroku's rambling soon began to make Inu-yasha's ears hurt and he slipped away without being seen to the dance floor. He looked back at Miroku who hadn't realized he was gone.  
  
As he turned back, he caught a figure in one of the balcony booths overlooking the dance floor and stage. It was in one of the spots where the rich usually rented one out for a week during the shows. They had their own table for drinks. Yet, this particular one was decorated with white paper pinned to the blood red cloth covered walls, and a figure dressed in a faded purple skirt and a black shirt with an outer corset around her curved middle.  
  
Kagome was busy pinning old dresses given by each of the female dancers to turn them into costumes and refit them. Each piece of paper had a sketch of the array of costumes for Miroku's musical. One side was the costumes for the men, and the other for the ladies.  
  
She finished a dress and let out a sigh of accomplishment. "Well, there's ten dresses. Only thirty more to go, and I still have the fifteen outfits for the men." She said to herself, only to frown a moment later.  
  
'Well, there are supposed fifteen outfits, but I only fourteen sketches.' One costume in particular was missing, and this one was the most difficult for her to imagine.  
  
Kagome sat back in the chair after folding the finished dress with the other nine. These were the easy ones, since there were ten full dresses she would have to create. However, at this point, she opened her sketchpad and began to draw out a figure to make out what this last costume should look like. Instead, her mind went blank, but her lead kept moving. She was doing it again, the same thing she had done for the past three days while she was trying to think of his costume. Instead of his costume, she would draw him.  
  
Kagome had learned to draw by making portraits of the human body. She learned how to make the clothing work with each person's features, but his were difficult to put together with clothing. Each time Kagome would try to put an outfit together for him, she'd find herself drawing him in one of the posses she had caught him in. This particular one, however, was a pose she had not seen him in, but the picture of it was in her mind.  
  
In the picture portrayed, his face was turned to the side with his back turned to the front. His mane was brushed to the side, and a white cloth seemed to shed down his back, exposing the smooth skin she often touched when they danced. One night, she was to wear an open back dress, and the day they did that dance, there was a moment when they had to have their backs pressed against the others. Kagome remembered his sweat and heat, mixing with hers, and feeling her body tingle when she came in contact with his skin.  
  
Kagome was almost finished with his picture, and went back to his mane to draw in his soft dog-ears. Suddenly, she pictured him differently, and the dog-ears didn't seem to work. He looked like he was wearing his mask. Each one of them looked like his mask each time she drew him.  
  
'Inu-yasha!' she thought, and closed her eyes.  
  
When he was around her, he was himself. He was warm and happy. Inu- yasha's emotions were far different from his brother's. Then, she remembered the difference between the two. Inu-yasha's mother was...human.  
  
When Inu-yasha was free to be himself when she was near, his emotions, warmth, and presence was that of a man...a human man.  
  
Kagome opened her eyes and looked at her drawing, and carefully erased the ears. She dropped her lead a bit lower and drew a human ear in his mane. Then, darkened his silver hair until it was as dark as the night sky. Black hair and human ears, and his eyes, not gold like a dog's, darker, and more hypnotizing, like an earthy brown.  
  
Kagome looked over her work, and felt her body flow with warmth as she looked at the man she had been trying to picture behind Inu-yasha's golden eyes. He looked so beautiful this way. Inu-yasha's body reflecting the man within him, the one he hid behind his mask.  
  
Kagome put her lead down in her lap and smoothed her fingers over the picture. 'Is this what you hide, Inu-yasha? You're human side is that makes me want to be closer to you. Your soul and heart is that of a human's, and you show it to me so freely.'  
  
She brought the picture closer to her face. 'You wear your mask to hide all of this, the part of you that you refuse to show the world. And yet when you share it with me, I don't see why you wear it. Do you think the world will think your true nature is ugly? Do you think those women find your demonic side more attractive?'  
  
Kagome pressed her fingers to her lips, and felt them heat with warmth. 'I don't see why you hide it. You're not ugly in your heart. Your demon body is just as beautiful as your human heart. You'd be so beautiful if you were human.'  
  
She looked at the picture and felt a tear form in her eye. Kagome took the pad with both hands and pressed her lips to the sketch. Then, she removed it slowly from them, and touched it with her fingertips. The tear rolled down her cheek as she opened her eyes again. Kagome smiled and giggled softly to herself that she had kissed her own drawing. She'd kissed his hidden soul, his heart. "So beautiful!"  
  
Suddenly, there were footsteps coming toward her, and Kagome quickly tore the picture from the pad and stashed it way in her sewing supplies. She picked up the next dress and looked over for the piece of paper she had pinned on it to tell her which drawing it was linked with. Kagome wiped the tear from her face and got on the seat to look for the sketch.  
  
"Working on the costumes?" a voice said while she had her back turned to find her sketch. Kagome knew that voice and twitched.  
  
"Inu-yasha, hi!" she said with a smile, and then turned back to find her sketch. Inu-yasha climbed on the chair opposite of the side Kagome's was on and looked at all of her sketches.  
  
"Which ones are these?" he asked while steadying himself on the chair.  
  
Kagome kept her focus on her work, but didn't ignore his presence. "Those are the male samples, but the numbered ones are for the show."  
  
Inu-yasha glanced around at each one. "They're magnificent!" he boasted, "When did you have time to draw all these?"  
  
Kagome unpinned the sketch she was looking for, and looked at him while she placed the pin in a cushion. "I drew them during the nights while you were with your clients. I just always had these bursts of energy been I got home and I'd just be an insomniac, so I'd draw the sketches until I got tired."  
  
In some way this was still very true, but as the words came from her mouth, she began to doubt that was the real reason anymore.  
  
Inu-yasha looked them over and stepped up on the table to look at the women's sketches. "Wow! Kagome, these are beautiful!"  
  
His eyes flowed over each piece of paper until he came to a numbered one. "This one! This one is yours I'm sure of it."  
  
Kagome looked at him and giggled as she got on her chair again to see which one it was. "Which one?"  
  
"This one! Number twenty-five?"  
  
Kagome smiled, "That's twenty-six! I know I write so fast even I can't tell the difference between my fives and sixes."  
  
Kagome lifted the picture so she could see it more clearly. "Yeah that's it...for now anyway."  
  
Inu-yasha looked at her puzzled. "What do you mean for now?"  
  
Kagome took the dress she had started working on and began to pin. "Because, I wanted the dress to be similar to her partners outfit."  
  
Inu-yasha nodded slowly. "Oh, I see!"  
  
He looked at it for a moment longer and then jumped back over to the other side. "So, where's mine?"  
  
Kagome looked at him as he looked them over franticly. She frowned and lowered her head back down to her work. "I haven't been able to think of it yet. That's why the dress is just a sample."  
  
Inu-yasha looked at her and then sat down in the chair backwards so he could lean forward on the back of it. "You haven't been able to think of one? Why not?"  
  
Kagome pushed a pin into place and looked at him. "I just can't think of something that works with your figure. It's hard to piece together all the little things that make you such a good dancer and work it into an outfit that shows you as you are."  
  
Inu-yasha put his arms on the top of the chairs back and gave her the same puzzled look. Kagome giggled and sighed. "Okay, you...your figure has to coincide with the way the fabric moves. Like... when you dance, you want..." Kagome stopped and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'm babbling now! I can't put the pieces together. There's just so many of them, and I can't put the picture together."  
  
Inu-yasha looked at her with his soft golden eyes and smirked a little. "You can't find something that shows me and the character and as the ability to work with the steps?"  
  
Kagome closed her eyes and smiled. She then looked up at him. "Exactly!"  
  
Inu-yasha smiled and sat up for a second. "Sounds difficult!" he said in a low toned voice. Kagome turned back to her work while he continued to look over all of the sketches, still amazed by her imagination.  
  
Kagome took another pin to get ready to pin another side of the dress, when she suddenly pricked her finger. "Ow!"  
  
The pin fell from her hand and Inu-yasha turned to her to spy her sucking her fingertip. "You alright?"  
  
Kagome removed her finger from her mouth and saw no blood. "I thought I pricked my finger."  
  
Inu-yasha took her hand and looked it over for a moment to make sure there really was no blood. She trembled for a moment as she felt the warmth of his palm. He looked it over and began to run his fingers over her palm and down her arm in little patterns. Kagome felt her muscles tingle with the sensation of his touch; she felt her arm weaken a little.  
  
She pulled it away slowly and let his fingers mingle with hers a moment before letting go. Kagome looked up and caught his glance. She smiled and giggled silently for a moment as she bent down to find her needle after catching Inu-yasha's smile.  
  
Kagome stretched out her hand to look for where her needle may have fallen. Once she found it, she reached out a little farther to touch it with her fingertips. She suddenly, looked over the balcony in case anyone was watching, and sure enough she froze. Kagome froze out of fear.  
  
Upon the stage stood two figures, one being Sesshoumaru and the other being that dark man from last night. She couldn't remember his name. Yet his figure made her fear him as though he were still pinning her down to the hotel bed. Kagome couldn't breathe, and her body felt cold with shivers.  
  
Naraku stood before Sesshoumaru having a conversation of some sort. He was conversing with him about Kikyo and she could tell by the way his lips curved to say her name. Sesshoumaru made his claim that she was out for the day. Naraku tipped his hat and began to turn.  
  
Kagome gasped and moved into the deep crevasse of the booth. Inu-yasha saw her as she tried to hide for a reason the he wasn't sure about. Yet her face was pale and the look of sheer terror was written in her eyes. He crawled over to her. "Kagome? What is it?"  
  
Kagome didn't want to speak for fear that the dark man might hear her voice and come looking. Inu-yasha watched her as her body began to tremor. He spotted her hand that had the needle, and she was so frightened that she hadn't realized she had drawn blood from her fingertip. Something wasn't right.  
  
Inu-yasha turned to the balcony rail and stared at it for a moment. Then he heard Kagome squeak like a mouse, "That's him! The dark man!"  
  
Inu-yasha's eyes widened and his golden eyes glittered with anger. He looked back to the balcony and got to his feet. He gripped one hand on the rail and looked down and spied him looking over each of the girls. He was looking for her.  
  
Wait! He knew who that was. He was that man that left with Kikyo the night he met Kagome. He was one of her clients, a duke.  
  
Inu-yasha let out a low growl from the bottom of his throat, and began to stalk after the figure and his wandering eye. He watched him as his eyes watched and analyzed every girl that passed him. No, not that one! Not her either!  
  
Inu-yasha watched as his eyes began to glow red. "You won't find her you fool! You won't see her again as long as I breathe," he said under his breath.  
  
Naraku came to the doors of the Well de Rouge, and opened the door just slightly. Then, his head twitched in Inu-yasha's direction and their eyes met. Inu-yasha's eyes returned to the golden color. The two of them glared at each other for a long period of time, before Naraku finally walked through the doors, and vanished.  
  
Inu-yasha narrowed his brow. "And don't come back, fool! You won't find her. I'll be sure of that. Kagome's mine, and you better think twice before you take her from me again."  
  
He snorted and came back to the booth where Kagome lay still shivering. "He's gone Kagome! You're safe now."  
  
Kagome sat up and let go of her breath. "He's trying to find me, Inu- yasha! He knows all about me!"  
  
Inu-yasha snorted and smiled as he wrapped his arms around her to comfort her. Kagome felt tears for in her eyes as she pressed her face to his shirt to wipe them away.  
  
Inu-yasha inhaled her scent, and felt content again. "He won't find you. You're safe, Kagome. He won't tell anyone if he knows what's good for him. He'll keep his mouth shut."  
  
Inu-yasha turned his head in the direction of the doors and held Kagome close to him. "He'll have to get through me first if he wants to get to you. He won't touch you again. I swear as long as I'm alive he'll never lay a hand on you again."  
  
Kagome sighed in relief and pressed her ear to Inu-yasha's heart. 'You are beautiful! Half demon, or all human, I don't care. You're so beautiful!'  
  
~~~~  
  
Okay, this was a sappy chapter and sort of uneventful, but the chapters yet to come will be well worth the wait.  
  
See you soon! 


	10. Just to Love and Part 1

Disclaimer; The original characters in the based story are not mine and the characters that are originally in the series are not mine. Characters of my own creation are added to the story; otherwise the characters belong to the original author.  
  
Well de Rouge an Inu-yasha X Moulin Rouge Tale  
  
~~~~  
  
Okay, folks, here is the word. If you can't read the chapters before, don't send a review until you understand everything. I got a really discouraging review about the ending. It says in chapter 1 "This story is about a man. The man she loved is...dead!"  
  
If you can't read, don't leave hurtful reviews! Your reviews will be seen by others than just myself, and it's can be quite embarrassing if you are not in the majority.  
  
If you can't say anything nice, don't leave a review that will ruin it for others. AGE YOUR AGE, NOT YOUR SHOE SIZE!!!  
  
I have other works that are my original creations and I can easily take a vacation from writing chapters. You will be made an example! I take pride in my work! You don't like it, tuff shit Sherlock! I write what I think will be enjoyable to others. The next time this happens, I will postpone the following chapter for a certain amount of time, and believe me it will hurt me to do this to those who enjoy it. If I feel the need, and the hurtful reviews continue, I will not complete the story. It will be deleted and you will ruin it for others. I know this sounds harsh, and I'm sorry, but I will not be treated as such.  
  
Respect others work! That's a message from all authors!  
  
Now, that I've gotten that out, I hope to lighten this heavy mood with a fluff chapter. You'll like this one! But read it!  
  
Okay, thinking happy thoughts...okay, lets do this! It's 1:18AM and I'm writing this for you. (Yeah, okay I'm an insomniac whenever I get the urge to write, but I do my best work late at night! Besides, this is a "creatures of the night" story.)  
  
~~~~  
  
Chapter 10; Just to Love and...(Part 1)  
  
Kagome returned to her hotel room late that night and began placing everything in its place for the night. Her sewing kit in one area, and the fifteen dresses she had to sew tonight. Kagome took out her man powered sewing machine she had received as a gift from her mother, and began to sew all of the dresses together.  
  
She finished her work by two o'clock in the morning, and was still wide- awake. Kagome couldn't sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about him.  
  
Kagome wanted Inu-yasha to be near her during that long night, and her fear was understandable. She didn't want to wake up and find that dark man breathing down her neck. How did Kikyo deal with a psycho like that? Well, one thing was for sure. That guy would have gone a lot easier on her if she were Kikyo. Yet, maybe not! Would Kikyo submit herself to that kind of cruelty? To be forced to do something she didn't want to do?  
  
Kagome shook her head and began folding the dresses and placing them with care into the large bag she had carried them home in. As she folded the last dress, and placed the sewing kit away, a slip of paper fluttered to the floor. Kagome spied it and picked up the slightly crumpled sketch of her perception of Inu-yasha's hidden heart and soul. The man she was in love with; the man behind the mask.  
  
Kagome sat by a mirror in the chair she had slept in that night Inu-yasha stayed in her room because he was drunk. She looked at her bed and giggled as she thought about the content look on his face when he slipped into a dreamless sleep. Even then he looked just a beautiful; cruel and mean for a moment, but so beautiful. It was his mask she had seen before. Now, that mask was gone and all that could be seen was he.  
  
Kagome looked at the sketch of Inu-yasha. She then opened a drawer by her nightstand and pulled out all of the drawings she had made of him as her eyes saw him. Kagome didn't know why she wanted to do this, but she took all of her pins and pushed them into the wall, holding up each of her drawings. She only had eight of them in his demon form, the form her eyes saw him in everyday since the day she met him. Yet the center, in the middle of all of them, she placed the portrait of the one her heart saw. It looked far more beautiful than the others. Even if it had been crumpled a lot more than it was, it still would have glowed with all of his warmth and tenderness. Kagome lay in her bed and looked at all of the drawings fluttering in the night wind. She then sat up again and came to the picture she adored more than anything now.  
  
Kagome didn't know what made her do it again, but she did. She kissed that picture and ran her fingers over it. Kagome felt so foolish kissing a picture and thinking she was kissing his soul, his heart. She giggled over the whole thing, but stopped when she realized that the picture was only of something she wished to see. She wanted to see him like this, without the mask. To see his heart and soul fully exposed to her real eyes.  
  
Kagome sighed as she felt a tear roll down her cheek. "Why couldn't you look like your soul?" she said to herself. "You're beautiful either way. I love you no matter what you look like. I just long for the chance to see you like this, and I know if I wished really hard I still wouldn't see you the way my heart does."  
  
Kagome sat back down on her bed. "You'd be a beautiful human! You'd look like your soul, like your heart. I'm in love with your soul. Is that okay? Can we be soul mates? I'd love you no matter what you were. Your body may look like a demon's, but I don't care. I don't see you the way all those women see you. They see your mask. I can see your soul. You let my heart see your soul."  
  
Looked at the pictures one last time, and turned to her side still dressed in the clothes she had worn that day. She didn't care. His scent was in these clothes. Kagome could hear his heart's words, smell his souls warmth, and feel its need to be free. Just two senses were jealous of the other three. Her mouth longed to taste his kiss, and her eyes longed to see his soul. Her eyes cried to see his soul.  
  
~~~~  
  
Inu-yasha couldn't sleep either that night, and walked around the balcony of the hall. The lights were dim and less than a third of the chairs were bolted to the former dance floor. He couldn't believe what had happened to the floor.  
  
Suddenly his ears caught the sound of fluttering paper behind him, and he turned around to spy the booth Kagome had been working in. All of the sketches that hung from its walls were gone, but there were five small drawings fluttering on the floor. Inu-yasha picked them up and looked them over. Two of them were men's outfits, and the other three were women's dresses.  
  
Inu-yasha looked each one over, and smiled as he looked at each one. He went back to his room and placed the drawings by the desk he kept stationary is to send "love" noted to his clients. Yet this time, he wasn't going to write a love note. He pulled out a clean white piece of paper, and worked until the wee hours of the morning on a letter.  
  
As the sun rose that morning he took the drawings and his letter, and placed them in an envelope. He ran out to the streets while they were still deserted, and opened a mailbox across the street and placed the drawings and his letter into the box, and let it slam shut. He smiled and kissed the box for reasons that even he didn't know. "This is my gift to you, Kagome! I hope you'll be happy!"  
  
~~~~  
  
It wasn't until late morning that Inu-yasha was awoken from his sleep by the sound of voices in the hallway. He groaned and turned over in his bed to fall back into his deep sleep. He was dreaming about her, and he didn't want to be disturbed.  
  
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. He turned in his bed once more and pulled his pillow over his head. Finally, his dream's intruder came into the room. "Wake up!"  
  
Inu-yasha groaned as he recognized the voice, Sesshoumaru. "I'm dead! Leave me alone!"  
  
Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes, and pulled the pillow off of his head, and wailed it hard on his body. Inu-yasha growled and sat up glaring at his brother. Sesshoumaru merely returned his stare. "Get up! You have errands to run for me."  
  
Inu-yasha fell back in bed. "Today's my day off, no my week off. Get the old hag to do you dirty work," he moaned as he pulled a sheet over his head.  
  
His brother pulled it off. "Wrong! You have the night off, and the rest of these days you just don't have clients because none had asked for you. Well, all except Thursday's client."  
  
Inu-yasha turned in his bed, "It's Sunday, for crying out loud, Ses. Let a man sleep!"  
  
"You fall asleep, and all the stores will close. I need you to buy things in the market. Take some one with you if you like, I don't care. Just get the things on this list."  
  
Sesshoumaru pulled out a slip of paper and placed it on Inu-yasha's nightstand. "Now, Get up!"  
  
~~~~  
  
"I've never been more tired in my life!" Inu-yasha complained as he dragged cloth bags of food and other assortments. He of course decided to bring someone with him, merely because he didn't want her to have to worry about that duke searching for her in the halls.  
  
Kagome needed to do some much needed shopping as well. With the money she had collected from working the needle on all of the dresses and shirts at the Well de Rouge. It wasn't much compared to the sum of money Inu-yasha had collected over the week, but it was enough to buy needles, thread, and food for herself.  
  
Inu-yasha walked around the market area with Kagome not far behind him. She looked over her contents, "Lets see! Red thread, white, and green! I'm going to have to get more blue dye soon."  
  
Inu-yasha stopped. "What's the dye for?"  
  
Kagome gave him a weird look and a smile. "The cloth, Silly! What did you think it was for?"  
  
Inu-yasha snorted, "Where do you dye the cloth?"  
  
"On the roof, and as soon as I have the dark color I need, I just dump it down the gutters."  
  
Kagome began walking again, and Inu-yasha followed her as they entered the doors to the Well de Rouge. Inu-yasha placed his contents in the eating area and left them in the bag, not caring if his brother yelled at him later for leaving it there. He soon realized Kagome hadn't followed him in.  
  
He ran out to the hall to find her setting up in her booth again. Inu- yasha grinned as he looked around for his brother. Nowhere!  
  
Inu-yasha made his dodge to Kagome's booth. "Let's get outta here!"  
  
Kagome looked at him not catching a word he said. "What?"  
  
Inu-yasha rolled his eyes and took hold of her hand. "Come on! Sesshoumaru doesn't know we're back yet and I need some more fresh air."  
  
He pulled Kagome by the hand and slipped her out the door. "Inu-yasha, I can't! I'll fall behind in my work!"  
  
The gigolo snorted in amusement. "You need to get out more! You haven't seen how beautiful Paris really is."  
  
He pulled her down the street when she pulled back. "Inu-yasha, I've got all those dresses though?"  
  
He took both of her hands this time and pulled her along. "Come on! Live alive, Kagome! Besides, I want to take you some place."  
  
Kagome groaned but she was still smiling. Inu-yasha leaned in close to her. "Please? I want to share this with you."  
  
She felt her heart beat with an urge to go with him. It was either work, or a day with him in Paris.  
  
"Alright! Just, don't let this be long! I need to finish pinning these dresses so I can get started on the others."  
  
Inu-yasha pulled her as he quickened the pace, and Kagome found herself running after him. "Come on!" he coxed her.  
  
"Inu-yasha, I'm in heals! Slow down!" she pleaded through playful laughs.  
  
They ran down the crowed Sunday streets, and soon Kagome was able to grab hold of his hand again. He dragged her down a deserted street and up a building's fire exit. When they got to the top, Kagome and Inu-yasha's chest were heaving for air. Yet, it was what Kagome saw that took her breath away.  
  
"The Eiffel Tower!"  
  
Inu-yasha brushed wisps of silver hair from his face, and took her hand once more. "That will be our last stop! There's a lot more to see than just that."  
  
Kagome looked at him and caught his glance. He wanted to kiss her right now, the wind in her hair and the look in her eyes. 'No, not yet! She's taken the bate, but I need to reel her in first before I can catch her.'  
  
Inu-yasha took her other hand and pulled her along. "Come on! 'Zee Zitee o' Louv' won't wait!"  
  
Kagome laughed as he pulled her along sharing her laughter.  
  
~~~~  
  
"Ah, Myoga's Café!" Inu-yasha began his brag, "Best café in the world! You need coffee? What kind? Strong beans or decaf? This guy has got coffee beans to an art!"  
  
Kagome bit her lip. "But, I don't like coffee!" she said as he dragged her in.  
  
Inu-yasha brought her close to him, "Neither do I, but he's got the best cookies."  
  
Kagome smiled and groaned as Inu-yasha dragged her into the café's kitchen. "We're not allowed back here!"  
  
Inu-yasha groaned and pulled her along, until they found a tiny flea jumping around counting coffee beans. He picked up his head and spied the silver hair and dog-ears making their way into his kitchen.  
  
"Master Inu-yasha? Is that really you?" the flea said in a raspy voice.  
  
Inu-yasha stood up tall as Kagome hid behind his back blushing a little. The flea hopped over to his friend's shoulder. "I haven't seen you in weeks! How's business in the old Well?"  
  
Inu-yasha walked over to the coffee bean grinder and smelled the slight aroma. "It's the usual!"  
  
Myoga hopped down from his shoulder and closed the bean grinder. "Ah-uh! This is a new one I'm trying! No peaking or sniffing!"  
  
Inu-yasha wrinkled his nose. "Speak for yourself!"  
  
Myoga crossed his arms and then turned to spy the rest of his company. "Oh my! And who might this young lady be?"  
  
Kagome blushed nervously as Inu-yasha took her hand. "Myo, this is Kagome!"  
  
The little flea took a bow. "A pleasure, by all means, Mademoiselle! Odd! Inu-yasha, you've never brought a female with you on your visits."  
  
Inu-yasha gave him a rather nervous look, and just grinned. "Um, Myo, I'll talk to you later! Kagome and I actually still have a lot of things to do."  
  
Inu-yasha pulled Kagome out of the kitchen and out a back door. Myo cried, "Wait!"  
  
Just then, Inu-yasha stuck his head back in and looked around until he spotted a tray of warm cookies. He took two, waved to Myoga and left with Kagome trailing behind him.  
  
Myoga shook his head and let out a soft hearty laugh. "Well, I'll be! Just when I thought I had seen everything in my old age. He's really in love with a real woman for once."  
  
~~~~  
  
The day flew by faster than Inu-yasha had hoped. He still had so many places to show her and the tower was so faraway now. He was running out of time.  
  
Kagome also began to shiver as the cool night air began to take over the city air. He had brought her to a public garden filled with red and white roses, and began to wonder if they were going to make it to the tower in time. The moment would be ruined. All of his plans were running low on time.  
  
He turned to Kagome finally, and looked at her with sad eyes. "You're cold! I can feel it!"  
  
Kagome let go of his hand and hugged herself and rubbed her arms. "Just a little!"  
  
Inu-yasha snorted with disbelief, "You've been sick once! I'm not letting you get sick again! I'm taking you home."  
  
Kagome looked at him with sad eyes. "What about the tower?"  
  
Inu-yasha smiled and rubbed her arms to help her body heat up. "Well go another day! Come on, I'll take you home!"  
  
Inu-yasha took her hand and led her out to the streets. Kagome looked at the sky, bewildered. "Inu-yasha, it's still day light! We just have clouds coming in."  
  
Inu-yasha looked up at the sky and Kagome glanced up with him. Just as they did, there was the sound of thunder, and a flash of bluish-white light. Kagome jumped into Inu-yasha's arms from the shock. A moment later she found herself looking into his eyes. Inu-yasha caught her stare, and his heart began pounding.  
  
Out of the blue, a raindrop landed on his nose. Inu-yasha's stare with Kagome broke as he looked at the lone drop of water roll of the tip of his nose. It was soon followed by five more that landed on Kagome's shoulders and neck. Hundreds followed these, and then millions as the sky shed a downpour of water from the heavens.  
  
Kagome tucked her neck into her body, bringing her chin to her chest. She then looked up into the rain and closed her eyes as the water soaked her clothes and exposed skin. She shook the water around in her hair and felt the drops rundown the back of her neck before she raised her hands to the sky and looked into the flashes of white light. Kagome was a child again, or at least acting like one. She began to giggle and spun around in circles and let the drops run over her body making her clothing wet enough to stick to her body.  
  
Inu-yasha watched her as she danced in the rain, and laughed at the game she was playing with the rain. It was cool and steam came off the black streets as the cold water hit it. He realized that he was soon soaking in the fallen rainwater, and white dress shirt and trousers were not holding back the water from his skin. The water was soaking through his clothing and the fact he was in a white shirt made it all the more humorous. Inu- yasha watched as Kagome twirled in the rain once more after inspecting his soaked state.  
  
Kagome lowered her arms and smiled as she brushed her hair from her eyes. She smiled as the raindrops plopped on her face and ran down her cheeks and forehead. She pressed all of her hair to her neck and let the water run down her back.  
  
Inu-yasha watched as the drops that landed on her chin rolled down her neck and under the front of her clothes to touch her the most heavenly parts of her angelic body. He was jealous of those drops, and he refused to let them have all the fun.  
  
Inu-yasha strode up to her and touched the wet, creamy, skin on her neck. Kagome felt his touch and brought her face back down from the rain to look at those golden eyes she had loved so much. They were filled with the same emotion she had not seen in his eyes since yesterday morning.  
  
Kagome found his claws making their way to her cheek, and as soon as it got there she felt his palm rest against it. Kagome closed her eyes as her fingertips touch his hand. Inu-yasha moved in closer to her and palmed her other cheek as her eyes opened once more. Kagome let her hands drift to his shirt as she placed both of her hands over his upper chest. Her left hand was jealous or her right, however, since this one was able to feel his heart pound against his chest. Her fingers curled around his white shirt for a moment to push the bubbles of air trapped between his skin and his shirt so that her hands could come in full contact with his body.  
  
Inu-yasha suddenly beamed and came closer to her as the message in her eyes was that she begged for more of this. He pressed his nose to hers and closed his eyes as his hands began to wander into her wet, black locks of hair. Kagome watched him as her heart fluttered by just looking as his contentment. 'He is so beautiful!'  
  
Inu-yasha opened his eyes again and pulled his nose away just to look as her again as the raindrop ran down each of their faces. Kagome's hands slipped out to his shirt's collar and she pulled on it to coax him to come back. Inu-yasha's lips curled into a sweet smile, as he watched Kagome's lips part ever so slightly. She tipped her head back just slightly as Inu- yasha brushed his thumb over her lips.  
  
He didn't think there would be a better chance than this. This beat the tower by far. If there were ever a more perfect moment than this, it would be watching the gods make out.  
  
Inu-yasha looked into her eyes and brought his lips closer to let them touch just slightly to tease them. That tiny touch sent shivers down each of his and her spine, and Kagome's eyes closed to savor the feeling. Inu- yasha teased her lips a moment longer before whispering to them, "If this isn't heaven, then I don't want to know what heaven really is. You're so beautiful!"  
  
Kagome's lips curled for a moment, and Inu-yasha watched as her eyes opened one last time to look at him. Slowly he got closer to her lips once more and both closed their eyes as Inu-yasha leaned into press his lips to her raindrop-wet lips. Kagome leaned into the kiss and kissed him back.  
  
The feeling in Kagome's body went beyond her imagination. Her body felt weak, but strong at the same time. Her heart felt lighter than air, and even though she couldn't breathe, she felt like something cool and warm was running into her lungs.  
  
Inu-yasha's experience was no different, he too felt like his body would float off the ground if his lungs kept filling with this passionate air. His heart was pounding, and Kagome's hands had returned press her hands to his chest to keep his heart from bursting out of his chest. His fingers curled in her hair as he dared her to press a little harder, and it helped her to open her mouth a little more. He let his tongue taste her, and Kagome responded with her own. She tasted sweeter than all the chocolates he received from his clients, and his were warmer than the picture she had kissed last night of him.  
  
Kagome's kisses were filled with passion and the urge for his love in return. They weren't empty; they were filled with want and need. 'This is right! I don't want to spend another night alone without her,' Inu-yasha told himself in his head. 'Oh, Kagome! I swear I'll never leave you again. You won't have to spend those long nights alone. I won't let you. Not now, and ever again!'  
  
Kagome broke their sweet kiss to finally get air, and Inu-yasha gasped. Both opened their eyes for a moment as the rain ran down their faces. Each one laughed for a moment before Kagome's lips begged for a second helping, and Inu-yasha gave in to her pleas. Her tongue touched his fangs and she felt his tongue coax hers in further so she could taste him more thoroughly.  
  
Kagome's hands palmed his face once more as his arms wrapped around her to pull her body closer. They turned their head to the side to press each other's forms to the others, and Kagome's threw her arms around his neck and let her fingers mingle in his wet silver mane.  
  
Inu-yasha finally loosened his grip on her and their lips came apart for a second time. Kagome looked into Inu-yasha's eyes and let her nose nuzzle against his for the last moments of the storm's gentle rain. Inu-yasha closed his eyes and made up the puzzling question in his mind. 'I'll share it all with her! No more hiding. She'll the only one to know outside of them all. I'll share my secret with her. Otherwise I'll never know if she really loves me. This is so much more, this is true love.'  
  
Inu-yasha placed his hand to her cheek once more, and made his confession. "I'm in love with you, Kagome. I've loved you since I discovered I couldn't dance without you...since I couldn't live without you. I'll never let you out of my sight again. You'll never face this world alone, again."  
  
Kagome pressed her hand to his heart once more and pressed her forehead to his lips. 'I don't care what my eyes tell me. You're human under all of this, I know it. I love it! I love every part of you."  
  
"You won't have to either. I care about you too much to let you spend another night alone. I love you. I love everything about you."  
  
Inu-yasha lifted her chin and smiled as his lips pressed a soft kiss to hers once more. Only the sudden heavy rain, and Kagome's cold shivers broke their kiss. "Too cold!"  
  
Inu-yasha grinned and wrapped her in his arms. "You'll never be cold again either," he teased playfully as he took her hand to lead her down the street to seek shelter from the cold rain. Yet with every warm kiss shared a long the way home, the cold never got to them.  
  
~~~~  
  
...I know! Don't stop! Don't stop! Don't stop! Well, unfortunately I have to folks. After all this is another two-part chapter, I just need to stop because the next chapter has to have a big warning posted.  
  
Yeah, you know what I'm talking about! Ruby's old lemonade chapter is a comin'. (For those of you who don't know what my lemonade is, it's a lemon. Uh duh! Just it's been juiced and there is a lot of sugar, so that the lemon is not just a lemon.  
  
However there will be a conversation before the lemon happens, so if you want to read the dialogue before, I'll mark off the place were the lemonade starts flowing. You won't miss it, but the part before is important to the story. So, you can read the beginning of the chapter, and continue at your own risk. (But the beginning is really big fluff, so I wouldn't miss it.)  
  
See you soon! 


	11. Be Loved in Return Part 2

Disclaimer; The original characters in the based story are not mine and the characters that are originally in the series are not mine. Characters of my own creation are added to the story; otherwise the characters belong to the original author or creator.  
  
Well de Rouge Inu-yasha X Moulin Rouge Tale  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay, need to think and really focus. It's been over a month since my last lemonade chapter, but I've gone through this stuff in my head to make sure it comes out the way I believe best suits the relationship between Kagome and Inu-yasha. I will point out the beginning of the lemonade, so for those of you who don't like that stuff don't have to continue.  
  
You'll like it trust me, the dialogue before it is well worth it, because it's the most romantic part of the whole chapter next to the sweetness of the lemonade.  
  
However due to FF.net's "bad" lemon hunt, with that in mind I decided to capture the true meaning of the what the moment is to symbolize for our hero and heroine.  
  
Enjoy, cause after this...well, lets just get to the chapter. It's long so get comfortable!  
  
~~~~  
  
LEMON/ "LEMONADE" CONTENT WARNING!!! This chapter contains sexual situations past the mark that will be indicated by the author. Everything before is safe to read until the author indicates the sexual situation. You may continue at your own risk. Please be responsible and mature. Thank You, and Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 11; ...to be Loved in Return (Part 2)  
  
Inu-yasha and Kagome opened the door to Kagome's hotel room with a light creek of her door. She looked around to make sure none of the playwrights had walked in to talk to her about the play. Kagome's feet squished with water in her shoes and brushed her hair out of her eyes to keep the water from running in her eyes. After surveying her room, she turned and gestured to Inu-yasha that the coast was clear. He came in behind her and sat in her comfortable chair as she turned to lock her door. Kagome leaned her back up against her door and let out a sigh of relief as she tried to catch her breath after running from the spot where she and Inu-yasha had shared their first kiss to the door of her hotel room.  
  
Kagome trusted her hand into her hair and placed the other hand over her stomach. "Are you hungry?"  
  
Inu-yasha propped one leg up on the armrest as always and dipped his head back to brush his hair back so it would drip itself dry faster. He looked up at Kagome for a moment. "Naw! You?"  
  
Kagome smiled and shook her head. "Uh-ah! I just thought I'd ask."  
  
Slowly she headed for her desk and opened a drawer to find her candles. Inu-yasha watched her as she dug out an assortment of tall, short, wide, and thin cylinders of wax, each one a different color or shade darker than the one before. "What are those for?"  
  
Kagome turned around and walked over to her nightstand that was beside him and grabbed her matches. "The thunder storm might knock out the power. I want to light a few candles before I lose my only light bulb, and my only source of light."  
  
Kagome struck a match and lit a few of the candles. She then took two of them and put them in her washroom, one in the toilet closet, and two on her nightstand. Inu-yasha watched her, and just watching the fire burn the wick brought on the sensation of heat - as in temperature wise. He soon discovered that Kagome's room was boiling hot, and he suspected the heat had rushed indoors to hide from the cold rain, which was coming down heavier now, as the storm got closer.  
  
"It's warm in here!" he said feeling the back of his neck for any sign of the cold water. Nope! He could feel his body starting to produce sweat to cool him down. Why was it so warm?  
  
Kagome came over to the balcony's glass doors. "It's the top floor for one thing. It's always an oven up here, and I usually open the balcony to let in the night breeze. But with the storm and all this rain..." her voice trailed off.  
  
She stood by her window and looked out to the Well de Rouge as its lights turned on for the night. Kagome closed her eyes for a moment, and began running her hands through her hair. Her neck was starting to get warm from all the heat her hair was holding against it, and also her clothing be stuck to her body wasn't helping.  
  
Kagome fiddled her hair into a messy clump in the back of her head and exhaled noisily. "Here!" she said as she walked over to her closet filled with samples of some of the clothing she sewed together. Kagome pulled out a dress shirt she kept for measurements. It had short sleeves, but it seemed to be the right size for Inu-yasha. "I'm not sure if it's the right size, but it's dry!"  
  
She pulled out a pair of dance pants she had taken for measurements on one of the male costumes and handed them both to Inu-yasha. Kagome then ran over to her dresser and pulled out a bundle of cloth. "I'll change in the washroom. I'll knock to see if you're ready."  
  
Inu-yasha watched her as she closed the door behind her. He unbuttoned his shirt halfway, and got annoyed with it easily because of his claws. After struggling with the fifth one he unbuttoned the cuffs and pulled the soaked shirt over his head. He shook his head for a moment to loosen up his silver mane again, and then wove his claws through his bangs as he looked out the balcony window. Daylight was almost gone, but the dark storm seemed to prevent that from being seen. He sighed about the whole thing and hoped the bubble in his stomach wouldn't burst too soon before he could tell her.  
  
He threw his soaked clothing at the foot of the chair, and pulled up the dance pants. As he secured them he looked around the room franticly. "Now where did I toss that shirt?"  
  
Inu-yasha looked by the pile of wet clothing and then over and around Kagome's bed. "Damn it!" she said under his breath. He thrust his hand into his hair and made an attempt to think back. Inu-yasha glanced over the room slowly, and gave a cry of victory when he found it by Kagome's tall mounted mirror. He walked over to where the shirt was lying and glanced into the mirror as he pulled the shirt over his shoulders. He looked at the buttons and decided not to bother with them, they were annoying anyway.  
  
He looked into Kagome's mirror and tried to make himself look a bit more decent. Inu-yasha looked in the mirror fixing the shirt's collar when something caught his eye in the mirror. He looked at the reflection in the mirror for a moment or two and then turned around to see the objects he had seen. There, on the opposite wall, were nine pieces of paper pinned to the walls. Each one of them was black and white, drawn with lead. He walked over to look as each one and smiled as he looked at the first one and the next. Drawings of him dancing solo on stage, sitting in a stool, sleeping in a bed, dancing with the coat, and others of his face were all drawn the way she had seen him. Yet, one was different! The one in the middle that caught his eye, she had not seen him in. That dark hair and those dark eyes, was this what she saw when she looked past his mask? The drawing was far more beautiful than the other poses, and the fact she had never seen him this way made his heart skip a beat.  
  
He pulled the drawing from the wall, and admired it a moment longer as he took a seat in the chair. Kagome knocked on the door not soon after, and Inu-yasha turned to look at the door before turning back to the picture. "It's okay!"  
  
Kagome walked out in a soft white cotton sleep gown which had the neckline stretched and as she looked in her mirror to tie her wet hair back, the neckline seem to loose its place all together. It slipped over her right shoulder as though it were mad that she had decided to wear this of all the things while he was here. Kagome wrapped her hair with a ribbon and tied it securely behind her letting the waves of her hair dry in the air. She then went over to her desk to look over a few of the drawings she had made for her own intention. Kagome sat at her desk to look them over. "I hope I can make up my mind soon on Kouga's costume. This is the third time I've looked over these drawings."  
  
Inu-yasha looked at her as she started to play with her hair. He looked out the balcony, at the drawing, and then looked at Kagome. "Make the wolf dance in the nude for all I care."  
  
Kagome gave a silent laugh, "If he did I won't be Kagome anymore...I really would be Kikyo."  
  
Inu-yasha got to his feet. "What do you mean?"  
  
Kagome leaned over her desk and continued to look at each of the drawings. "She told me I was a girl because I have dreams of being with one person and loving one person for the rest of my life. Then she told me that real women know that men only want one thing, and as soon as they're done with-- "  
  
"Soon as they're done with you, you're gone?" Inu-yasha finished.  
  
Kagome leaned back in her chair and rubbed her arm through her gown's elbow long sleeve. She closed her eyes. "Those were the words going through my mind the night you found me drugged in that hotel. It was all my fault. I should have told you."  
  
Inu-yasha came up behind her. "No, it's not! Even if you had told me and still went do you think he wouldn't have tried to drug you? Do you think he wouldn't have drugged you if you were Kikyo?"  
  
Kagome got out of her chair and walked to her door without making eye contact with him. "Yes, I honestly think he wouldn't have drugged the wine if I was Kikyo."  
  
Inu-yasha shook his head, and turned his back to her as he looked at the drawing again. "Where you in the room when he poured the drinks?"  
  
She hugged herself, "No, I wasn't because..."  
  
Inu-yasha turned around and looked at her, and she was still facing her door. "Because what?" his voice said softly.  
  
Kagome pressed her head to the door and put her weight on it as she closed her eyes. "I heard her through the door, Inu-yasha. I heard her say your name, and I felt sick to my stomach. I just don't see it."  
  
Inu-yasha turned back to the drawing, and put it down on her desk. He took two steps in her direction. "What don't you see?"  
  
Kagome turned around and looked at him with sad eyes. She looked like she was ready to cry. "I don't see the difference between sex and making love. You classify everything into two categories. Men and boys! Women and girls! Sex and making love! All these things, and all I see is the same thing."  
  
Inu-yasha looked at her with soft eyes, and leaned up against her bed's post. "So, where does this guy come in to this whole mess?"  
  
Kagome closed her eyes, "I wanted to know if these people even care at all. I wanted to know if the feeling was mutual or different. I guess I thought I could see it for myself without having to go through the 'service' part of the job."  
  
Inu-yasha smiled and shook his head. "I'm sorry, it's not what you think. He told you dinner and a drink at his place?"  
  
Kagome nodded and smirked about the whole thing. Inu-yasha laughed silently, "That's an old girl's line to get gigolo's to give 'em freebies. They think if they don't ask, they can get away without having to pay."  
  
Kagome looked at him, "Do you...?"  
  
Inu-yasha looked at her and shook his head, "High price, remember? If a client tries to get a freebie, I leave. It's difficult for women though. Men can be more threatening. Kikyo knows how to get around those things. You never leave your drink unattended; you pour the drinks and make sure the bottle is a fresh one. Oh yeah! You never have red wine. Also, if he forces you to drink it, knock the glass over as you go to grab it and make it look like an accident. While he cleans it up, you get away. If he does leave you alone, you hit him wear it hurts and leave."  
  
Kagome laughed, "I hit him over the head with a vase."  
  
Inu-yasha started laughing hysterically. "That....that will do it, too!"  
  
Kagome shook her head as the laughter died. Inu-yasha looked at her. "You can't be Kikyo, no matter how hard you try you'll never be like her."  
  
Kagome watched him as he smiled and walked back over to her desk. She narrowed her brow, wondering if she had misunderstood him for either a compliment or criticism. She came up to him from behind and looked over his back, as the lightning flashes got brighter. Kagome looked over his back and saw all of his skin start to grow pink under the white shirt. She pinched a small lock of silver, and began to weave it through her fingers.  
  
"What...what do you mean I'll never be like her?" she said in an unsteady voice. She looked up and into his golden eyes. His eyes were full of confusion, and he seemed lost for words. Kagome let go of the lock of silver hair and palmed both of his cheeks. "What is it? What's wrong?"  
  
Suddenly, she felt something tickle her arm can make a crackling noise. Kagome looked down to her side and saw the drawing in Inu-yasha's hand. Kagome's eyes opened a little wider as she blushed taking the picture from his hand slowly and holding in between her and him.  
  
Inu-yasha touched her arms and let his fingers run down from her wrists to her elbows. "Is...is it a picture of me?"  
  
Kagome closed her eyes and nodded sadly. "It's not what you think."  
  
She walked past him and stood over her desk looking at the drawing of Inu- yasha if he were human. Kagome closed her eyes. "Are you mad?"  
  
She heard his voice from behind her, "No! Why should I?"  
  
Kagome felt a tear for in her eye. "It's what I see when I look into your eyes. It's the side you don't seem to show to anyone else, but me."  
  
Inu-yasha's voice became deeper and softer. "Is it what you want me to be?"  
  
Kagome felt a lump grow in her throat. "Yes...and no! It doesn't matter to me." She swallowed hard to get rid of the lump but failed. Her heart felt like it was breaking, but mostly it was because she loved him. She loved his soul.  
  
"You're beautiful to me either way. If you're a half demon, I'll still see you with the same eyes. My heart will still see this as your heart and soul. You have a human heart, and soul. I wanted to picture it for so long with my own eyes. When I drew the picture, I felt my heart and eyes agree on the feeling."  
  
Kagome let her fingers run over the drawing, and she closed her eyes as the tear began to roll down her face. "If others saw you like this, I'm not sure what they would say."  
  
Inu-yasha lowered his head and looked at his hands for a moment before closing them in to fists. 'It's starting, I can feel it!' He looked back at Kagome.  
  
"If I were human, for even a moment, would you still love me?"  
  
Kagome opened her eyes and smirked a little before feeling a sob coming on. "I'd love you even if you were all demon. Half demon or all human, I'd still love you. If you were human..."  
  
She couldn't hold it back and placed the drawing on her desk softly and looked at it as she let out a small sob. She felt better and took a small breath of air as she closed her eyes once more before hugging her body. "If you were human, for even a moment, I'd still think you were beautiful. I'd still think you were beautiful and I would still love you. You're soul is human. My soul is in love with yours. You're beautiful to me, Inu- yasha. If you were human, you'd be just as beautiful because your soul is human. I love you."  
  
Kagome picked the drawing back up and kept her eyes on it even as a flash of lightning came through the windows and her light bulb went out. The thunder rumbled the floor and Kagome felt her heart beat with the same power. The candlelight now glowed through the paper, making the image even more heavenly and more beautiful.  
  
Kagome closed her eyes as her last tear fell from her eyes. "You're so beautiful!"  
  
It took a moment for the candlelight to flood her room and for Kagome's eyes to adjust, but she could feel his presence in the room. It only took those few moments of silence to make her long to feel his kiss, just so that she'd know he still loved her. The silence made her heart pound and question whether or not he was really still there, but all questions were answered in a single touch.  
  
A hand! A soft palm with five fingers gently touched the exposed skin her gown's neckline refused to cover and was touching the very grove of her upper back. Kagome knew it was Inu-yasha; the touch was the same, the feeling in her heart and body, and now her soul all the same. His fingers traveled upward to her neck and it seemed to spread a fire through her spine. Another joined it and both began to untie the ribbon in her hair. It unraveled with ease, and Kagome's half-wet, half dry hair cascaded over her shoulders. Kagome smirked for a moment, until the hands disappeared for one moment, only to return to her neck and run down her spine slowly. Then one made its way to her shoulder and smoothed across it to its curve.  
  
Kagome soon felt something warm and soft press against her back. Her skin confirmed it has his chest, his bare chest. The shirt was gone, and his body was giving off a warm heat that her body could only absorb. Her heart was pounding, but his was too. They are counting the beats together this time in perfect unison.  
  
Inu-yasha's breath bounced off her exposed shoulder, but the moisture that built seemed to cool his hot kiss. Kagome's opened her eyes just slightly, only to close them again as Inu-yasha's kisses made their way up to the place where her neck met her shoulder. Her lips began to tremble, and heat began to race through her body.  
  
Her vision blurred from the rise in her body heat, but she wasn't scared this time. Slowly, Kagome turned her head toward him and begged for him to kiss her lips. Inu-yasha looked at her and slowly began to turn her body around and ran his fingertips down her arms in little patterns. Kagome's lips felt his breath moisten them and make them warm. Gently he pressed his lips to hers in small soft kisses. Kagome leaned into his warmest kiss, and felt his tongue beg for another taste. Kagome's tongue beat him to the entrance, but he welcomed her with it. Kagome let her hands palm his cheeks as his hands left her arms to feel her back and pull her closer. Kagome's hands smoothed into his hair as he brought her closer and began to push all of his hair back.  
  
All of the sudden, her senses returned when something wasn't right. Something was different about Inu-yasha, but it wasn't the emotional and physical pleasure. Inu-yasha had claws, so how come she felt fingertips? His mouth would have two long fangs, so why were they short? Yet none of these compared to what her hands found in his hair, his ears. 'Human ears!'  
  
Kagome opened her eyes quickly and gasped into her kiss as she pulled her lips from their caress. Her eyes widened as she placed both hands on his jaw and looked at him. Black hair! And as soon as Inu-yasha caught his breath, he slowly opened his eyes, deep, earthy, brown eyes.  
  
Kagome's eyes were filled with disbelief and she felt like she had done something horrible. "In...Inu-yasha?"  
  
He smirked and took a hard gulp as he tried to breath normally for a moment. His eyes looked into hers with the same power she had felt every time she looked into his once golden eyes. Was it really still he, or was it all a dream?  
  
Inu-yasha let out a quick breath of air, and gave a breathless, "Yes?"  
  
Kagome's face blushed as she took his arms to find his hands. No claws, but short fingernails! "What...how...I don't understand! Did I do this?"  
  
Inu-yasha shook his head as he let out a breathy laugh. "Stupid girl! Sure your drawing and the lights going out suddenly turned me into a human," he teased with a smile.  
  
Kagome touched his hair and felt his chest and watched as her hands scanned his body. "Then, how?"  
  
Inu-yasha lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. "It's normal in all half-demons to loose their demon power at some point in time. My demon blood recedes on the night of a new moon. As soon as the sunsets, I'm human until sunrise."  
  
Kagome touched his face, "What happens at sunrise?"  
  
Inu-yasha took hold of her hands and pressed his forehead to hers. "My demon blood replenishes itself, and I turn back into a half-demon."  
  
(I know what you're thinking. Tell you something you don't already know...or uh-duh!)  
  
Kagome looked at his chest and placed both hands over his upper chest. "Do others know about this?"  
  
He closed his eyes and opened them back up again slowly. "Sesshoumaru, and a majority of those that work with me."  
  
Inu-yasha let go of her for a moment and she watched him as he walked around her room. Kagome felt shivers go down her spine as she approached him once more. "Any clients?"  
  
Inu-yasha snickered. "No client wants to have sex with a full human for the price my half-demon body goes for. This body is worthless!"  
  
He hadn't turned to look at her the entire time, and she finally came around to his face. "Not worthless! Priceless, like your soul!"  
  
Inu-yasha touched her lips once more and leaned in to press his forehead to hers. He let his hands drift over her shoulders and down her curves letting his fingers trace a body that was willing to give it's self to this "priceless" one.  
  
Kagome felt his stare and pressed her nose to his and palmed both of his cheeks. He looked at her with half open eyes. "You don't think my human body is ugly? Kikyo couldn't agree with it because it brought her no challenge, at least she thought."  
  
Kagome looked at him with soft sad eyes. "Have you ever used this body for your work, even...Kikyo?"  
  
He smirked and closed his eyes. "It not enough! Instead of the Half-Karat Diamond, I'm not worth anything to them without my demon blood. I'm not a diamond!"  
  
Kagome felt a tear form in her eye as she placed her hands over his chest. Inu-yasha closed his eyes and held her curves in his hands. Kagome gripped his biceps and looked at him. "You're right!"  
  
Inu-yasha looked at her confused. Kagome closed her eyes for a moment letting the tear fall from her eye. "You're the one I love! The one I feel I can be safe in when you hold me. The one my heart longs to keep in time with when we dance. You're the one my heart wants to dance with."  
  
Inu-yasha listened to her every word watching her tears fall down her cheeks as the lightning flashed around them in her room. Kagome let her finger trace his lips and run over his cheeks. "You're Inu-yasha, and you'll always be more precious than all the diamonds in the world to me. I don't love the Diamond, I love the man hidden behind him."  
  
**********HERE IS THE LEMONADE CONTENT!!! **********  
  
Inu-yasha's eyes glowed like water glazed with moonlight. Kagome bowed her head, and let her tears fall freely. Inu-yasha felt a tear of his own roll down his cheek, and his cupped his hands over her face to bring her face back up to his. Kagome's eye opened just slightly, and she closed them to part her lips. Inu-yasha's lips brushed against hers, and slowly he began to add pressure. Kagome pressed back and opened her mouth to let him reunite with her tongue.  
  
It only took a moment before her hands wove into his hair and he clutched her body close to his. Kagome let go of his kiss and attempted to kiss him again, until his lips attacked her neck. His hands began to move up her back and play with her spine to make shivers run up and down her. Kagome gasped just slightly when she felt one hand brush against a soft spot in her lower back.  
  
Inu-yasha pushed her back and both slowly climbed on to Kagome's bed. Kagome crawled further back form him trying to control her breathing. "I can't do this!"  
  
Inu-yasha pulled her upper body back up and kissed her as his legs pushed to put one leg between hers. He felt different suddenly, like this wasn't what he thought it was going to be like. His body was responding to situations differently, and the sensations in Kagome's touches were making his body tremble. It was like a river of fire running through his body. She was unlocking part of him that he didn't even know existed. A power she had over him that he liked. Kagome could unlock this passion and pull it out full blast, a power no woman, not even Kikyo could do these things and this was what her job should have done for him. The lightning didn't seem to exist outside the room anymore. It was happening between their bodies, now, and making his heart pulse like it had gone mad. He couldn't get enough of it, and longed for more of it.  
  
Suddenly, Kagome pushed him away and his body felt like it had been ripped from it's other half. Kagome's hands were trembling and she cupped his face and came closer to him. Her eyes were soft and glossy. His heart was pounding with all of the angelic light her body was giving off. "What is it?"  
  
Kagome rose to her knees and loomed over him just slightly. Inu-yasha's heart starting pounding, threatening to bust out of place and cling to hers. Her voice was sultry, "I don't want to have sex!"  
  
His heart felt like it would have hit bottom. Inu-yasha's eyes widened to look at her not understanding why she was still sending signals. Yet, the signals were mixed up and lost. These were different!  
  
Kagome closed her eyes and bent down to steal a small innocent kiss from his lip and give him a taste of a sweet passion he had not tasted before. It was like honey, sweet and warm.  
  
"What...what do you want?" he asked trying to hold back the urge to pin her between his body and her bed.  
  
Kagome's smiled and bent down, and made his lips follow hers. He looked into her smoky gray eyes, and felt his lips steal a second taste. What was this passion, this urge, this...feeling? No woman had the ability to break his senses when it came to sex, so what were they doing now? What was he doing in that situation with Kagome? What was it that she wanted if it wasn't sex, and yet every bit of passion she was pouring into his body was making his body want to engulf himself in that sweet honey passion? If it wasn't sex, then what was it?  
  
"Kagome?" he managed to mumble.  
  
Kagome's eyes looked into his and she cupped her hands over his face to help his senses weaken a little more. He felt drunk, but not in a bad sense, this was light and heavy at the same time. It was more sweet than zippy like alcohol.  
  
His voice was soft and quiet and his eyes looked into hers for an answer. "Tell me, please? I don't want to do something you don't want. I just want to share this with you. I want to be as close to you as I can."  
  
Kagome gave him a second taste as his hands reached for the hem of her sleeping gown and gripped it, insisting on removing it from the body his wanted to be near for so long. She placed her fingers over his lips. "Silly boy!" she whispered, "You don't know what this is?" Kagome gave him one more honey sweet kiss. Inu-yasha wanted to know what she was trying to do to him, and wished to know soon before the urge took over his mind.  
  
"Kagome?"  
  
She whispered into his mouth softly, "When I said I didn't want to have sex, I meant it. I want the other!" she kissed him.  
  
His mind was too foggy to think, what was the other? "What is the other?"  
  
Kagome giggled and stripped him of his senses one last time until his hands were running under her gown wanting to progress. "I don't want to have sex with you...I want to make love with you!"  
  
Inu-yasha's eyes opened wide, and he finally understood his own classification between sex and making love, and so did Kagome obviously.  
  
He laughed, "Make love?" Kagome nodded into their kiss. "I've never made love."  
  
Kagome kissed him to destroy what was left of his minds power. He had lost control of the situation now. "Neither do I, but we can teach each other!"  
  
Inu-yasha moaned into a final kiss, and loomed over her enough to push his last leg between her legs and lower her body down. "Make Love? I can do that! I can make love, but...it will only be with you. I'll make love to you! Only you!" he kissed her red lips, "Just you!" kiss, "I love you!"  
  
~~~~  
  
Light rain tapped upon the windows of the small hotel room, and the light rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance. It was innocent this time though. It had been tamed, calmed in the cool and dark night air. The air was still and warm though with in this tiny room of one bed and table. Here, Inu-yasha and Kagome found their forbidden bond. Connected by passions alone in a sea of white cotton and warm heat.  
  
Kagome's breath was sweet and hot. Her lips stained with the color of love and her fingers soothing the water that ran from his eyes and face. Inu- yasha remained her body's living blanket as his fingers mingled in her midnight locks. Both breathing hot moisture into the air, and letting it collect on the others skin as they basked in the sweet bliss of each other's company and bond. They remained one body, one flesh, in the place once considered to be unsuitable for a man of his caliber, now a place of heaven's gift to men and women alike.  
  
Both opened their eyes, and Kagome's eyes began to glow with their own moonlight essence. Inu-yasha let that silvery moonlight warm the earthy brown color of his eyes and kissed her softly before his body's need for sleep took her from his moment of paradise.  
  
Her voice came to his ears again as they gazed at each other in the golden candle light. "How do you feel?"  
  
Inu-yasha's breathing clamed as his body began to plead for rest. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers as she watched him begin to slip into his dreams. Inu-yasha let out a soft sigh and through the air that passed his tongue before he began to sleep on his love's form, he spoke through a mix of breathless whisper and moan, "Alive!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay, I'm crying because that was just too beautiful. I can't believe I had that in me, it took a lot out of me. Okay I'll let that sink in and shut up!  
  
See you next time! 


	12. The Meaning Behind Alive!

Disclaimer; The original characters in the based story are not mine and the characters that are originally in the series are not mine. Characters of my own creation are added to the story; otherwise the characters belong to the original author.  
  
Well de Rouge an Inu-yasha X Moulin Rouge Tale  
  
~~~~  
  
I'm not gonna talk, I'm just gonna write!  
  
~~~~  
  
Chapter 12; The Meaning Behind "Alive!"  
  
A light pinkish violet color lit the skyline of the city in the large glass window. The light pink color held no mercy on the two bodies the moon and stars bore witness too through out the night. Now the sun was getting ready to make its attempt to take a peek.  
  
Inu-yasha felt the violet light pour over his body, and warm his eyes just slightly. He opened his eyes slowly to adjust them as morning made its treats to end the night that changed his life. Yet, the feeling in his body was sensational and as he took a breath to clear out the cobwebs in his head, he felt like he had taken his first breath in a long time. He was true to his word. Inu-yasha felt alive!  
  
Then, he peered to see his arm out stretched over half of the bed, the side Kagome was sleeping on. Only thing was Kagome wasn't there. His mind was confused, and evil memories of waking up alone in an empty bed came back to him. All those women...they never cared, but Kagome? No, she wouldn't leave him in a cold bed as the sun threatened to take away the human form she saw as his soul. Yet, she wasn't at his side. Inu-yasha felt his heart sink, and the feeling made him doubt. Was it all a dream?  
  
Inu-yasha looked out the window and sighed heavily, but a moment after he closed his eyes, the bed moved beneath him. His eyes shot open and he supported his weight on his elbows as he looked to spy what he was sleeping on. His eyes fell upon the angel he was in search of. There, Kagome stirred and stretched her arms over her head and yawning.  
  
Inu-yasha looked at her, astonished she was closer than he though; and, when Kagome arched her back forward to stretch her back out, he had to gasp as he discover how close she really was. The connection of her intimacy was still holding steadfast, and the feeling was sensational as the fire ran up his spine for a moment to ignite his mind's memory of last night's events.  
  
Kagome gasped, as well, as she felt something push inside of her. She fell back into the bed as she let the air escape her mouth slowly. He was still apart of her body. Inu-yasha opened his eyes and looked at her, still amazed that she was so close, that she was...still there! It felt wonderful! Nothing was more rewarding than this. It was better than all the money in the world.  
  
Kagome's eyes fluttered open and she smiled sleepily as she placed her hands over his face. Her brow narrowed as she looked at the expression written on his face. "What's wrong?"  
  
Inu-yasha took a moment to snap out of his reminiscing, and rested his body's weight on Kagome's body again with a smile. "Nothing!"  
  
Kagome's hands ran over his face and down the back of his neck and spine. He still couldn't figure out if he was dreaming. He lifted his weight again. "Did it really happen? Are you really here?"  
  
Kagome gave him a weird look. "Of course I'm here, and yes we...well, 'did it' if that's what you're asking?"  
  
Inu-yasha suddenly had a stupid grin spread across his face and he sat up breaking the connection. He felt like a kid, and the feeling made him so giddy. Kagome sat up and took hold of his hands for support. Inu-yasha laughed silently and shook his head. "I...I made love to you!"  
  
Inu-yasha opened his eyes and looked into hers. Kagome saw the innocence in his smile, and returned it. Inu-yasha wrapped her in his arms and kissed her passionately before laid her and his body down in her bed. He rolled over and ran his face over his face. "I kept thinking it was all a dream! It felt like something that would happen in a dream. Yet, this one came true! It's all real! These sheets, this room, this feeling, it's all real!"  
  
Kagome rolled over on her stomach and watched him as he put his hands down at his sides. He turned his head to look at her. "It feels like I did it for the first time."  
  
She giggled, "You did! You made love for the first time!"  
  
He shook his head. "Naw, all of it! Each moment felt like the first time. The kissing, the touching...the connection!"  
  
Kagome smiled and blinked her eyes slowly. He looked like a kid who got his first taste of sugar. Inu-yasha looked so happy. "Do you like making love with me?"  
  
Inu-yasha rolled back on top of her making her giggle. "'Like' is an understatement!" he told her, with a kiss as her arms encircled his neck again. "Then again..." He opened his eyes for a moment, and kissed her again. "...so is love!"  
  
Kagome smiled into his third kiss. Inu-yasha pressed his body intimately to hers again, and Kagome giggled as he made his way down her heck and partially down her chest before resting his chin just above her breasts. Kagome cocked her head to the side so she could see him, and he placed his ear to her chest to look into her eyes a moment longer. He could hear that her heartbeat was steady and calm now.  
  
She let her fingers play with a lock of his hair. "What do you want to do?"  
  
Inu-yasha grinned, "I have some ideas?"  
  
Kagome smiled and giggled, "Oh come on! You'll ruin it if we keep this up. Save some of it for later!"  
  
Inu-yasha pulled himself up and loomed over her as he let out a seductive groan to tease her. "Later, hey?"  
  
She laughed as he attacked her neck. "Yes! Later, like tonight!"  
  
Inu-yasha grinned as he closed her eyes. "But wouldn't it be fun to make love while I was turning back into a half demon?"  
  
Kagome snorted out of humor. "You have a sick mind!" she teased.  
  
Inu-yasha chuckled deviously in her ear as he pulled her closer to him. Kagome looked up at him and smiled as she ran her fingers through his hair. She then pulled herself out from under him and grabbed hold of the white flat sheet from her bed and wrapped it around her body. She twirled around and sat in her chair by her desk. Kagome grabbed a fist full of her hair and tried to act seductive just to tease him. Inu-yasha grabbed hold of a pillow and sat up looking at her with a goofy grin on his face. Kagome touched herself like Kikyo did when she performed on stage. He couldn't help but laugh as Kagome smiled and got to her feet to lean against the bedpost. "I feel so dirty! How does Kikyo do it?"  
  
Inu-yasha shook his head. "I'm not interested in finding out! You make it look more fun rather than a seductive thing like she does."  
  
Kagome smiled and sat at the foot of her bed. Inu-yasha reach out to touch the exposed skin on her back, and Kagome smiled as she closed her eyes and held on to the bunch of cloth that kept the sheet wrapped around her body.  
  
Inu-yasha watched as she fell back into the bed and look up at him upside down. The violet light was starting to turn the white sheets a pink glow. This color suited Kagome's beauty so much better, but of course any color in the sunrises pastel sky would look beautiful.  
  
"I still haven't asked you have I?" Inu-yasha asked in a throaty voice.  
  
Kagome arched her brow. "Ask me what?"  
  
He grinned, "I didn't ask you how you felt after we made love."  
  
She grinned and closed her eyes as she rolled over on her side. Inu-yasha watched her as his fingers began to play with her hair. "I'm not sure if I can put it into words. You summed up everything when you told me how you felt."  
  
Inu-yasha leaned down to her ear and repeated the word in her ear, "Alive!"  
  
Kagome took a deep breath and smiled as she rolled back over on her backside. "Can I expand on that?"  
  
He smiled as he played with her locks. Kagome closed her eyes. "It's like a waterfall. Cool spring water flowing over your body." Kagome ran her hand over the front of her body as Inu-yasha watched her touch her body to regain the feeling just slightly. She continued, "It was like my body wasn't even there. It was just my soul making love with you. I was so light I felt like I could fly...I was flying! Every breath was warm and new, but cool and soothing. I knew every breath I took was the same air you were breathing, or air that you had already breathed in. We shared everything, Inu-yasha!"  
  
Kagome opened her eyes slowly and looked at him. "Our air! Our bodies! Our touch! ...Our lives!"  
  
Inu-yasha leaned over her and whispered, "Our love!"  
  
Kagome blushed at the thought of forgetting that important factor. Inu- yasha grinned as he kissed her forehead. "Do you like making love with me?"  
  
She turned around and got to her knees on the bed as she loomed over him like she had before, and gave him a honey sweet kiss. "'Like' is an understatement, but then again, so is 'love'."  
  
Inu-yasha looked at her and chuckled as he stole another kiss off of her lips. Kagome, however, held on to the kiss and leaned into it with all her passion. She cocked her head to the side to deepen the kiss. He broke the kiss, and grinned. "I thought you said, 'You'll ruin it if we keep this up,'" he teased.  
  
Kagome whimpered sadly, and Inu-yasha laughed as he kissed her. "You're cruel! I hate you!"  
  
Inu-yasha snorted before kissing her again. "Liar!"  
  
She couldn't help but smile as his lips parted her to let his tongue taste her morning breath. It wasn't great, but still sweet with the honey he was in search of. As long as he could taste the honey in her mouth nothing else mattered. This was the same for Kagome.  
  
Inu-yasha broke their kiss and looked out her balcony window. He looked at Kagome as orange rays spilled over her. He grinned as an evil thought came into his head. Kagome looked at him with a smile. "What are you thinking?"  
  
He began to crawl out of her bed and held up a finger. "Don't move!"  
  
Kagome watched him as he pulled his nude body out of her bed, and she giggled as she caught sight of his manhood. He stood up and then looked at her as she fell on her back trying to stop staring. He straightened up his back and put his hands on his hips. "Sure you're laughing now! But you know you like it!"  
  
Kagome moaned in laughter as she pulled the white sheet over her face. Inu- yasha took his advantage while she wasn't looking and ran to the glass balcony doors and opened them. He took a large step out to the crate filled balcony and held out his arms. "Good Morning, Paris!"  
  
Kagome sat up and looked out to her balcony to spy him exposing himself to the city. "Inu-yasha, are you insane?" she cried out to him as she giggled out loud. She grabbed hold of her bed's blanket and ran out to where he was, but he caught her coming toward him and ran up the crates to the roof. Kagome watched as her human Inu-yasha ran to the edge of the building as looked out at the sunrise. "Come on, Kagome!"  
  
She watched as he ran out of her sight, and she clutched the sheet that covered her and the blanket as she crawled up the crates to her roof. Inu- yasha ran in circles around the black roof making a complete fool out of himself. He looked like a kid...a very naked, big kid! "Good morning, World!"  
  
Kagome giggled as he took hold of her body and she threw the blanket around his shoulders. "You are insane!"  
  
Inu-yasha beamed and said in a soft voice, "No, I'm not! I'm in love!"  
  
Kagome smiled and looked into his eyes. He watched as she tired the sheet around her and she began to twirl in the morning breezes. The white sheet looked like a cloud fluttering by her bare feet as she held up the extra cloth so she wouldn't trip. Inu-yasha watched as he held the blanket around his body. The sunrise colors danced on the white sheet and played with her body's curves.  
  
A moment later he took hold of her hand and side and began dancing with her on the roof letting the light dance around them. Kagome laughed as he picked her up off the ground and spun her around like he did the morning after her drug reaction. Only, this time, it was different! The feeling was shared.  
  
Inu-yasha placed her feet back down on the rooftop, and wrapped their bodies together in the blanket. Kagome giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Inu-yasha looked to the sunrise and then back toward her. He loosened the sheet around Kagome's body and pressed her body to his form as he pulled the sheet over her shoulders.  
  
Inu-yasha pressed his forehead to hers and watched her as her smile shined brighter that what was about to come over the horizon. He closed his eyes to hide his pain, but he knew he couldn't hide anything from her. Kagome looked up at him as tears formed in his eyelashes.  
  
"Inu-yasha?"  
  
He opened his eyes and looked at her with glossy eyes. Kagome narrowed her brow and palmed his face. "What's wrong? What is it?"  
  
He closed his eyes and looked down at his hands. "I can feel it!"  
  
Kagome looked at his hands and held them in her tiny ones. "Are you in pain?"  
  
He laughed sadly, "No! It's my demon blood. It's coming back to take back my body." Kagome looked up into his eyes and palmed his cheeks. Inu-yasha looked at her with his brown eyes. "I don't want to turn back. I want to stay this way."  
  
Kagome hushed him soothingly, and her own tears helped to share his pain. "It'll be okay! I'm still here, Inu-yasha! You're not alone! I'm right here!"  
  
He shook his head. "I won't be able to hold you the same way for a month. There won't be another new moon for a little over a month. I can't wait that long to be with you again."  
  
Kagome kissed him and he bent down to rest his head on her shoulder as she held his arms. "You don't have to! Your soul is human remember? As long as your soul is human, you'll always be human when we make love."  
  
Inu-yasha sniffled. "I like it better this way. There's nothing between us this way."  
  
She smiled and looked at him as she tucked her nose between the arch his neck and chin made. "There's nothing between our souls, Inu-yasha. You're human in my eyes remember? I'll love you no matter what form you have. I love your soul! I love you!"  
  
Inu-yasha took a deep breath, "Good-bye, Kagome!"  
  
Kagome shook her head and looked into his eyes. She smiled as she held his face with her hands and eyes for the last time. "No! Good morning, Inu- yasha!"  
  
Kagome held him close to her as she shut her eyes and waited for the sunlight to touch their bodies. She couldn't stand the wait and opened her eyes just in time to see the sun peek over the horizon. A red sliver that slowly began to turn into a pink arch signified that a new day had begun, and the night was over...but not forgotten.  
  
Inu-yasha took a deep breath, and Kagome smiled as she watched the sun appear and a silver lock of hair blow in her face. She pinched it between two fingers and pulled out of the embrace. Kagome's eyes followed the lock of hair to Inu-yasha's face. His eyes were closed, and she smoothed the back of her hand against his face to brush the silver hairs away from his face. Inu-yasha opened his eyes, and his golden orbs appeared. Kagome smiled and looked at the two soft dog-ears in his silver hair. She leaned into his body and giggled. "You know what?"  
  
Inu-yasha held her close to his body. "What?"  
  
Kagome reach up and massaged Inu-yasha's ears until he purred slightly. She giggled as he moaned into his purrs. "I missed those ears!"  
  
He grinned and rubbed his nose against hers. "You did hey!"  
  
Kagome said nothing, but giggled as he kissed her passionately. It was still the same. He could still taste her honey, and she still kissed him with the same passion. Kagome was right! There was nothing between their souls.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay, short chapter I know, but I always make 'em too long sometimes. It's better right here anyway!  
  
Well, next chapter is yet another chapter you have all been waiting for. It is yet another song chapter, but one we all know and love. You all know what I'm talking about. Chapter 13; Come What May  
  
See you soon! 


	13. Come What May

Disclaimer; The original characters in the based story are not mine and the characters that are originally in the series are not mine. Characters of my own creation are added to the story; otherwise the characters belong to the original author.  
  
Well de Rouge (An Inu-yasha X Moulin Rouge Tale)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Alas! The big musical chapter of the year! Hold on to your seats folks as I throw "The Pitch (Spectacular, Spectacular)" and "Come What May!"  
  
Now this chapter may look long, but it's only because there's two songs in this chapter that take up so much space.  
  
(Note; "The Pitch (Spectacular, Spectacular)" lyrics courtesy of poplyrics.net. Thank you to my reviewers!) And yes some of the lyrics have been changed because the play is different.  
  
~~~~  
  
Chapter 13; Come What May  
  
Sesshoumaru motioned to have the lights on stage turned on in their entire splendor, and grinned as he turned to Miroku and Sango whom were cleaning up the floor. He took hold of the young man's arm as raised his hands to the lights. The gigolo's and ladies watched in awe as the lights flickered and glowed.  
  
Inu-yasha leaned up against the railing along the over look on the opposite side of the hall. Kagome stood on the other side sewing and humming, and often would try and catch him looking at her from across the overlook. He would avert his eyes for a moment to look over song lyrics on a piece of paper he had in his hands, but often he would lean over the rail and peek over the top of his paper.  
  
Sesshoumaru looked at Miroku and nodded as he shook his hand.  
  
***Reference key***(Sessy = *, Miroku = ^, Sango = /, Chorus [Gigolos and ladies]= (), ~ = Inu-yasha, # =Kagome)  
  
(Here we go! Confusion time!)  
  
^Spectacular, Spectacular  
  
No words in the vernacular  
  
Can describe this great event  
  
You'll be dumb with wonderment^  
  
Sesshoumaru nodded as he began to walk along the lit catwalk.  
  
*Returns are fixed at ten percent  
  
You must agree that's excellent  
  
And on top of your fee  
  
You'll be involved artistically*  
  
The gigolo's enjoyed this beat and picked out a female partner to dance along the stage with.  
  
(So exciting, the audience will stop and cheer  
  
So delighting it will run for fifty years So exciting, the audience will stop and cheer  
  
So delighting it will run for fifty years)  
  
Sango came to Miroku's side and threw her arms around his neck.  
  
/Elephants, Bohemians  
  
Indians and courtesans/  
  
^Acrobats and juggling bears  
  
Exotic girls, fire-eaters^  
  
/Musclemen, contortionists  
  
Intrigue, danger, and romance/  
  
^Ooo! Electric lights, machinery  
  
All run with electricity^  
  
The gigolos and ladies dance once more, jumping and sing and stomping across the floor. It was enough to make Kagome laugh with joy as she watched.  
  
(So exciting, the audience will stop and cheer  
  
So delighting it will run for fifty years  
  
So exciting, the audience will stop and cheer  
  
So delighting it will run for fifty years)  
  
Miroku ran out to the catwalk and slid on his knees to Sesshoumaru's feet.  
  
^Spectacular, Spectacular  
  
No words in the vernacular  
  
Can describe this great event  
  
You'll be dumb with wonderment^  
  
Sango twirled on stage and lifted her arms to the ceiling. /The hills are alive with the sound of music.../  
  
(So exciting, the audience will stop and cheer  
  
So delighting it will run for fifty years  
  
So exciting, the audience will stop and cheer  
  
So delighting it will run for fifty years)  
  
Shippo ran out to Miroku's side and pulled in the back of his shirt. "What will happen in the end?"  
  
Inu-yasha grinned and looked across the balcony at Kagome who was making her way down to get closer to watch the stage. He followed her and watched her.  
  
~The milkmaid and royal man  
  
Are pulled apart by an evil plan~  
  
Kagome took a few steps down the stairs and looked up at Inu-yasha.  
  
#But in the end she hears his song#  
  
Inu-yasha beamed. ~And their love is just too strong~  
  
Miroku grinned as he picked up Shippo and placed him on his shoulder. ^It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside...hmmm! ^  
  
Sango shook her head and rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms. Yet, she smiled!  
  
(So exciting, the audience will stop and cheer  
  
So delighting it will run for fifty years)  
  
Inu-yasha ran down the stairs and to Kagome as she came on the stage to take hold of her hands.  
  
~The prince sings his secret song  
  
Helps them flee the evil one  
  
Though princess rants and rails  
  
It is all to no avail~  
  
Sango pushed them apart with her hands and looked at them both evilly.  
  
/I am the evil Princess Mejia - you will not escape! /  
  
"Oh, Sango, no one could play her like you could!" Kagome complemented.  
  
Sango shrugged her shoulders, "No one's going to!"  
  
(So exciting, it will make you laugh and make you cry  
  
So delighting...)  
  
"And in the end should someone die?" a voice said from somewhere on stage. Everyone looked around, but shrugged their shoulders when they found nothing.  
  
They continued to dance.  
  
(So exciting, the audience will stop and cheer  
  
So delighting it will run for fifty years)  
  
(Ruby; pant* pant* pant*! Finally! Thank gods for cut and paste!)  
  
All the gigolos got down on one knee and had their partners sit on their knees. All smiled as Kagome and Inu-yasha threw their arms around each other to end the number.  
  
Then the voice came again with the sound of clapping as well. Inu-yasha and Kagome looked out to the catwalk and found a figure making its way down the alleyway to the stage. Inu-yasha and Kagome were the only ones who were shocked to see who it was and felt fear build up in their chests.  
  
"Generally, I like it!" Kikyo was back from Burgundy  
  
Sesshoumaru turned around and grinned as she stuck his hands in his pockets. "Kikyo! You've come home at last! It's so wonderful to have you home."  
  
Kikyo grinned. "Sesshoumaru, Darling! What is all this?"  
  
The dog demon looked around the stage as Kagome loosened her embrace on Inu- yasha. "Oh, no!" she whispered.  
  
Sesshoumaru hoped down from the catwalk to stand beside his courtesan. "Kikyo, this is Miroku and Sango. They're playwrights who have come to put on a production in our little hall."  
  
Kikyo smiled and nodded. "I see, and let me guess! Inu-yasha? You are the prince in this play?"  
  
Inu-yasha stood up straight and tucked his hands into his pants' pockets. "Yeah! We weren't sure if you were coming back! So, um, Kagome, here, offered to take the part of the milkmaid."  
  
Kikyo shifted her stare to Kagome and nodded with a smile. "You have become a woman then, haven't you, Seamstress? To dance with Inu-yasha, let alone sing with him, will take great control and concentration."  
  
Kagome smiled back at her and nodded. "We've been working on dancing for the past week. Inu-yasha has been helping me."  
  
Kikyo nodded and smiled as she made her way over to the both of them. "Inu- yasha learned a lot from me, didn't he? Most of his dance moves he do now he learned from me. I was the one who improved his dancing after the Diamond Lover retired."  
  
Kagome's widened and she looked at Inu-yasha who looked at her. Inu-yasha looked at Kikyo and took her by the arm. "Kikyo, you weren't around! You would have had the part possibly if you hadn't left on such short notice."  
  
Kikyo looked at him and began laughing hysterically. "Me, in a musical? You must be insane! I'd never reduce myself to that level. I take great pride in my work, Inu-yasha as should you, but this is what has come into play. They possibly need a good male lead anyway, and this you should be able to accomplish."  
  
No one in the hall knew how to take Kikyo's statement as a compliment or an insult. Inu-yasha cleared his throat and placed a grin on his face. "I'm glad you understand!"  
  
Kikyo nodded and yawned. "Well, enough chit chat! It's been a long trip home and I'm beat. My aunt kept me up for hours until she finally fell asleep permanently. So, without further a due!"  
  
Inu-yasha nodded as Sesshoumaru aided Kikyo in carrying her things to Kikyo's quarters. He then turned to Kagome whom was staring at him intensely. Inu-yasha shook his head. "It was a long time ago!"  
  
Kagome took his arm. "No, no, I'm not bothered by that! What are we going to do?"  
  
Inu-yasha shook his head and chuckled silently. "Relax! Kikyo's made her choice; you're still in the musical. You're still the milkmaid, and I'm still falling in love with you in the end. Well, I'm in love with you anyway, but you know what I mean," he whispered towards the end.  
  
Kagome giggled and looked at him. "Do you think she'll find out?"  
  
Inu-yasha came closer to her and narrowed his brow. "About what?"  
  
Kagome looked down at the floor for a moment and then at his chest. "Her client and my drug reaction. What if she finds out I've been impersonating her?"  
  
Inu-yasha shook his head. "Nothing is going to happen! No one is going to tell her, and that guy isn't going to show his face around here for a long time."  
  
Kagome leaned into his body and rested her head on his shoulder as he held her in his arms. He looked at her and smiled. "I'll meet you at your place for lunch, and we can talk about the costumes for you and me then."  
  
She smiled and looked up at him. "I'm going to have to take measurements!"  
  
He saw the shimmer in her eyes and felt his stupid grin spread across his face. Inu-yasha looked from side to side and then back at her. "Lunch is still in an hour, but we shouldn't bee seen together until then. Kikyo might get suspicious." He then puffed up his chest and tried to hold back his hormones, but this made Kagome giggle. "Besides," he whispered, "absence makes the heart grow fonder."  
  
Kagome closed her eyes a smiled as she pulled herself away from him before he made an attempt to kiss her. She began to walk back to her side of the balcony to get back to her work. "I'll meet you on the street corner."  
  
Inu-yasha watched her as she made her way down the stage at to the spiral stairs that lead from the stage to the balcony. He let out his chest and began to turn around when he came face to face with Miroku. Inu-yasha jumped and held his breath to keep from yelling.  
  
The playwright crossed his arms and looked at him skeptically with a slight grin on his face. Inu-yasha narrowed his brow. "What?"  
  
Miroku looked at Kagome as she made her way up the last few stairs and looked back. The playwright grinned and looked at Inu-yasha. "Curious! Very curious!"  
  
Inu-yasha drew his head back as he looked at Miroku. "What are you talking about?"  
  
Sango came over a moment later and rested her arms and head on Miroku's shoulder. "You see it too, don't you?" she asked Miroku.  
  
He nodded. "Yep! It's defiantly there!"  
  
Inu-yasha shook his head. "Woe! Okay, hold the phone! Will you talk to me like I'm here and not at the other end of the hall? What are you talking about?"  
  
Miroku looked at Sango and then both turned back to him. Sango stood up straight. "We know you and Kagome have a thing!"  
  
Inu-yasha looked dumbfounded and shook his head. Miroku rolled his eyes. "Oh, please! You two are all over each other when you practice dancing."  
  
"Not to mention, you're always hanging around each other. You guys are hiding a relationship behind Sesshoumaru's back," Sango pointed out and smiled.  
  
Miroku snickered, "Couldn't have said it better!"  
  
Inu-yasha snorted, "Feh! You don't know what you're talking about!"  
  
Sango and Miroku watched as Inu-yasha walked by them and continued grinning the whole time. "Don't worry!" Sango cried out. Inu-yasha turned around. "Well, ah, we'll make sure you get that part down and dirty before the musical. You're secrets with us!"  
  
Inu-yasha looked at them awkwardly and shook his head as he made his way to the opposite spiral staircase to get to the balcony across from Kagome's. Miroku and Sango snickered as she took hold of his hand. "Should we congratulate them?"  
  
Miroku shook his head slowly. "Naw! It will only ruin the fun in it."  
  
~~~~  
  
Inu-yasha leaned against the rail of the overlook with his back to it. He was humming the tune to the love song his character and Kagome's had. It worked so well with how he was feeling, and what he and Kagome were going through. Inu-yasha turned around to spy Kagome out to the corner of his eye and walked over to the post that protruded through the center of the balcony. He tried to remain casual as the gigolos and ladies left to go have their lunch break. Inu-yasha waited until he could only smell Kagome's sweet scent in the room. He looked over his music and leaned his back up against the column.  
  
(Kagome = ^, Inu-yasha = *, Both = () )  
  
*Never knew I could feel like this  
  
Like I've never seen the sky before*  
  
Kagome looked up from her work to place it down on the table. She slowly got up, and looked to the column to listen in on the love song.  
  
*Want to vanish inside your kiss  
  
Everyday I love you more and more*  
  
Inu-yasha peeked around the column to spy her and lean his side against the post.  
  
*Listen to my heart can you heart it sing?  
  
Telling me to give you everything*  
  
Kagome walked to the staircase smiling as he pursued her like a tiger on the hunt.  
  
*Seasons may change  
  
Winter to spring*  
  
Kagome looked up at him when she got to the bottom of her spiral staircase and looked up at him as he made his first step down his side of the balcony.  
  
*But I'll love you  
  
Until the end...of...time*  
  
Kagome smiled as she began to walk in the direction of the hall door, still watching him as he followed her down his set of stairs. He was watching to her, and singing in order to make her want him more.  
  
*Come what may  
  
Come what may  
  
I will love you until my dying day! *  
  
Inu-yasha watched her as she walked behind the last row of seats as let her fingers glide against the top of each chair. He came to the last stair and made his way toward her. Kagome watched, and sang out to him.  
  
^Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place  
  
Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace^  
  
She smiled at him as he grinned back at her. Kagome made her way to the door and leaned up against it.  
  
(Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste)  
  
Kagome smiled as she slipped through the doors to make a run for the street. Inu-yasha ran after her until her stood outside the door and she was by the street corner.  
  
^It all revolves around you! ^  
  
Inu-yasha grinned as her body sent him signals that she as teasing him. He'd get her! He began his stalk slowly trying to get closer to her. The entire game had turned into a predator hunting down his prey, but it was only to consume desire and passion filled hungers for each of them. The song became each one's mating call in the hot summer sun; like, the predator using it to fool his prey, and the prey using it to make him track her.  
  
(And there's no mountain to high  
  
No river to wide  
  
Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side)  
  
Inu-yasha got closer to the street and Kagome made her dash for the stairs to her apartment. Her smile being the shining beacon for him to follow. He came to the stairwell within the hotel, and they sang out to each other.  
  
(Storm clouds may gather and stars may collide)  
  
Inu-yasha stood at the bottom of the winding stairwell and watched as she began to climb a little further ahead of him. He still sent her signals for him to follow, and he did so as she kept herself just out of reach.  
  
*But I'll love you*  
  
^I'll love you^  
  
*Until the end...*  
  
^Until the end  
  
(Of time  
  
Come what may  
  
Come what may  
  
I will love you  
  
Until my dying day  
  
Oh! Come what may)  
  
Kagome walked down the hallway when the stairs had come to an end, and watched as Inu-yasha prowled around the corner watching her.  
  
(Come what may  
  
I will love you!)  
  
^I will love you^  
  
Kagome leaned up against the door to her room and Inu-yasha leaned his arms against the door trapping her.  
  
^Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place^  
  
Kagome opened the door and stumbled inside as Inu-yasha slammed the door behind them and grabbed her before she thought about jumping to the roof and letting the hunt continue any further. He let his lips brush against hers to tease her as he attacked her black outer corset, and her fingers began to undo the buttons on his shirt.  
  
(Come what may  
  
Come what may  
  
I will love you until my dying day!)  
  
Inu-yasha beamed as she let her hand touch the skin on his chest. He was human again, at least when he was like this with her he was. His half demon form could be seen with the common eye, but in Kagome's he was human now. Making love was something his human half could do, but only as long as Kagome was near.  
  
Inu-yasha kissed her softly as his hands began their own hunt now for the hidden body underneath all of her clothing. He broke their kiss and both smiled as the laughed silently. "I swear to you, I will love you until my dying day!" Inu-yasha vowed as he kissed Kagome's lips.  
  
~~~~  
  
During the last hour of the lunch break, Kagome had wrapped her body in her bed sheets once again and went out to the crates to begin thinking of Inu- yasha's costume and the milkmaid's. She tied her hair back with one lead, and the other was tapping her pad as she tied to think.  
  
Inu-yasha decided to take a bath while she thought. He was only in there a moment before coming out in his dance pants and shaking a towel through his silver mane. When he removed the towel to look in her mirror, it frizzed in a wet ball. Kagome had watched the whole thing and giggled. Inu-yasha turned to her and blew some of his silver strands away from his face. "Help!" he yipped, and Kagome point to her brush and comb. Inu-yasha grabbed them, and gave both to her as she placed her pad and lead down, and he stacked a few crates in fort of her. Kagome placed a third crate on her stack of two to get a bit higher and moved in closer. She began taking sections and combing them out.  
  
"I still don't know what to do for your costume."  
  
Inu-yasha looked at her lead and pad, and grabbed it as she continued to comb out the snarls. "You should wear white for the last number."  
  
Kagome smirked, "Why white?"  
  
"The colored lights will make the dress look like it's turning different colors."  
  
She thought about the picture of a white dress. "Should it have shoulders?"  
  
Inu-yasha turned around and looked her over. "Naw! You should show the curves in your neck and how they flow with your shoulders," Inu-yasha told her while letting his claws glide over her shoulders to demonstrate and point out her feature. Kagome smiled, discovering that this was also an excuse to touch her. She gestured him to turn around again, knowing that he still wanted to touch her. He made up for it though, and lifted his mane up so he could lean back between her legs. Kagome giggled, but continued to comb out his hair. He tipped his head back too think as the sun warmed his bare chest.  
  
"Your milkmaid costume could go over it. Ragged dark green...rags!"  
  
Kagome laughed at his loss for words as he tried to explain the picture in his mind. "I thought I was the designer for these costumes?"  
  
Inu-yasha smiled. "Well, you have a block, don't you? Like writers block, only it's more like...designers block!"  
  
Kagome smiled and laughed for a moment as she picked out another lock of hair. Inu-yasha thought for a moment. "An outer corset in dark green, and a ragged shirt to cover the white dress beneath. Your hair could be up and then you could bring it down in the end."  
  
She smiled and thought for a moment. "I should make smoothing to cover my arms until the end."  
  
Kagome placed her brush and comb down as he leaned forward to pick up her pad and lead in Inu-yasha's lap. She leaned back on the crate behind her and thought for a moment as she began to draw a sketch. Inu-yasha's curiosity got the best of him and he got off his crates to climb up on the ones she was leaning on so that she could work with more comfort, and he could look over her shoulder. Kagome drew the white dress with the sleeves hanging off of her shoulders, and a floppy ball gown skirt. Lightly she traced the dark green garments that would cover the dress until the end of the show. Inu-yasha grinned as she showed him the final product. "There! What do you think?"  
  
He put his lips to her ear and ran his hand up her arms to her shoulders. "You'd look beautiful in that!"  
  
Kagome smiled as leaned a little more into him, until she thought about the picture again. "No, wait! I can't put my hair down in the end. They'll all find out I'm not Kikyo then."  
  
Inu-yasha pulled her back into him and calmed her. "Then, were a rag in your hair and then pin it into your bun."  
  
She twisted around to look at him. "But what about the hair being down effect? The dress won't look right without it."  
  
Inu-yasha stared at her for a moment before taking the lead out of her hair and combing it out with his claws. Kagome savored the moment, even though she knew he was trying to think of something. Inu-yasha combed her hair back into a sloppy bun, and then held it there while his spare set of claws pulled some of her bangs out and other bits of stay hairs to frame her face. "When you put your hair up, you can see the curves in your neck. When your hair is down, it makes your eyes glow. So, if we put most of your hair up, and leave some of it down in the front..." his voice trailed off.  
  
Kagome opened her eyes and looked at him, as he looked over his handy work (or just for kicks his claw work). Inu-yasha beamed at he titled her chin up a bit to let a little more sun shine on her face and make her eyes sparkle. "Beautiful!" he whispered. He slowly leaned down to kiss her, and let her lips satisfy his taste for her sweet honey.  
  
He let her hair go and began to feel Kagome's hands reach around his neck. She broke the kiss and placed her finger between them. "Not yet! We still need to do this remember?"  
  
He groaned, but smiled as she tore out the page and walked into her apartment to pin it on her wall. Kagome came back and sat in the crates Inu-yasha had previously been sitting on. Inu-yasha climbed down a ways and played with the hem of the sheet that she had wrapped around her. "Use this sheet for the dress! It will keep you in character!"  
  
Kagome smiled trying to keep from laughing. "Why?"  
  
Inu-yasha reached for her leg under the sheet. "Because it has memories, and I think the fabric is nice."  
  
"It's cotton! Why not silk or satin?"  
  
Inu-yasha shook his head, as he got closer to her. "This is better! It works with the characters and the light. Be sides it's cheaper for you to not have to go out and get more expensive fabric...when you can use the priceless kind."  
  
Kagome giggled as his hand moved along her thigh and hiked the sheet up a little as he moved in closer. She put her hands up to stop him. "Calm down!" she said with a smile, "We need to get this done first. What should you wear that will go with the dress?"  
  
Inu-yasha groaned as he sat back on the crates. He poked at his chin as he went into a deep thought. Kagome lowered the crates down to his level, and put his knees between hers to satisfy some of his desire. Inu-yasha closed his eyes as Kagome waited for him to try and help her. She leaned in a little to kiss his lips softly. "It needs to be white, too."  
  
He nodded, as she kissed his left eye. Inu-yasha opened his eyes and looked at her lips as he let his thumb run over her lower lip. "Red!"  
  
Inu-yasha suddenly opened his eyes wide and stood up. "Black dance pants, a white shirt, and a long red jacket, like my coat."  
  
Inu-yasha ran into her room and took off her blanket. "It should have a white common peasant shirt, no buttons. And the jacket should be long like a cape, with baggy sleeves that go to the elbows. Then it should be fitted around the lower arm. Ooo! And gold trim!"  
  
Kagome giggled as she quickly snatched up her pad and began to sketch the picture that came into her head. Inu-yasha sat between her knees again and leaned in to watch her lead move like water over smooth stones. He found enjoyment in this. He would think of ideas and she would draw them on paper. They could do this together.  
  
Kagome smiled at her work as she showed him the outfit beneath the jacket traced in lightly. Inu-yasha smiled and kissed her. "And in the final number, your rags will disappear and so will my jacket, and well be there in our white garments while the lights flash different colors across the stage."  
  
She smiled as he got to his feet to picture all of it. "It will be like the sunrise!"  
  
Kagome smiled and got to her feet wrap her arms around him. "Dressed in my bed sheets?" she reminded him with a playful laugh. He pulled her close to him and secured the sheet around her body. Kagome smiled and dragged him by the waist of his dance pants back into her room.  
  
Inu-yasha beamed. "Woman, you have no mercy!" he teased, and Kagome smiled and stopped when the back of her knees touched her bed. She undid his pants and let his hands remove the sheet around her body. "Well, we do have forty-five minutes before we have to be back with our drawings."  
  
Inu-yasha purred as he came in closer and kissed her passionately before leaning on just enough to make her lose her balance to fall into her bed. She screamed playfully and Inu-yasha fell on top of her and smiled. "Forty- five minutes, hey? That'll cost you!" he joked. Kagome giggled as he began his onslaught of kisses and pulled her blanket over them as she finished her laughter.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Phew! Done! Okay, I know you're all mad at the fact Kikyo is back in town (grumbles something like "stinking bitch, why does she always ruin the storyline?") but she is important to the stories plot.  
  
See you next time! 


	14. Snitch

Disclaimer; The original characters in the based story are not mine and the characters that are originally in the series are not mine. Characters of my own creation are added to the story; otherwise the characters belong to the original author.  
  
Well de Rouge an Inu-yasha X Moulin Rouge Tale  
  
~~~~  
  
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT!!!  
  
Reviewers, Readers, and Fans! Lend me your ears!  
  
(Sudden, shower of ears fall on the author!)  
  
...Eww! Okay I didn't mean literally!  
  
Ugh! Okay, anyway, I'm taking this moment to tell you that I am fully aware of the events taking place in Fan Fiction and Lemon writers. On that note, due to the restriction of our rights and other people not taking such responsibility for their actions, I have decided to place my story on a back up file. I will not submit my writing to the Nazis that are pointing fingers at others work and possibly posting their own lemons with some deal. I have made my attempts to keep my lemon settings in this story at a safe rating. I'm a metaphoric writer; I don't always go into detail!  
  
Now, in the event that "Well de Rouge" is removed from Fan Fiction, I will not make the multiple attempts to repost my story. Instead, I will simply take what they have handed to me, revise the story to accommodate the rules on the website and take it from there.  
  
However, for those of you who like to read the original, here is the good news! MY FATHER MAKES WEBPAGES!!! With this information, I will place the original story in its entirety, uncut, on a site where mature audiences can access it. When I have this information available, I will post it on my Fan Fiction page for those to access the website and read "Well de Rouge" the way it was meant to be.  
  
So, with that happy note, let's continue our story!  
  
...Okay, um, you can come and pick up your ears now and glue them back on...Thank you!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 14; Snitch  
  
(This chapter is for all those authors who got their stories booted...and to their snitches!)  
  
The days of summer seemed to go by quick, and the night the musical was to open was drawing near. Kagome had finished Inu-yasha's costume a few days after they had designed it together. She handed out all of the costumes to their owners and Shippo shined the new dance shoes that Sesshoumaru had generously ordered, but still expected to have the money that came in from tickets to pay most of the cost back.  
  
Inu-yasha put on the red coat to see how it felt, and grinned as he inhaled Kagome's sweet scent imbedded in it. He made on circle to make the cape flap in the air as he stood before her on the stage while she locked up the chest containing all of the costumes. She smiled as she brushed a stray hair behind her ear. "Do you like it?"  
  
Inu-yasha held the coat open for a moment and then straightened it out. "It smells like roses...and you!"  
  
Kagome smiled and pinched a piece of the cloth. "I had to die it with rose petals and other red dies. I wanted the color to be rich and bright."  
  
Inu-yasha lifted her chin and smiled softly. "Is it from our bed sheets?" he whispered  
  
Kagome blushed, but smiled just the same as she tried to tame the same stray hair again behind her ear. Inu-yasha let a wide smile spread across his face as he twirled around to make the cloth flap in the air again. She giggled, "Oh, stop making me laugh! I feel so foolish!"  
  
Inu-yasha came up to her with a disappointed look in his eyes. "But I like it when I make you laugh! You smile when you laugh, and I love your smile."  
  
Kagome felt her lips curl into a goofy grin again, and Inu-yasha smiled as he watched her try to hide it behind her hand. He removed her hand with his and leaned in to let his face bask in her bright smile.  
  
Not far away, Kikyo sat in a both with her back to the stage to look over her plans for the next week with Sesshoumaru. The dog demon sat rather casually as he talked over plans with Kikyo.  
  
"You understand this came sort of sudden for us. Kagome had to take your place on stage," Sesshoumaru explained.  
  
Kikyo nodded as she looked over her appointment with clients. "Yes, I understand! As long as she didn't mess around with any of my clients I'm not bothered by her presence."  
  
Sesshoumaru held his tongue at that point, and decided it was best not to tell her about Kagome's incident with the drug. If it was a client, he would be in more trouble, but no one had complained. 'It was just a man wondering in looking for a good time. She just didn't know!'  
  
Kikyo picked up her appointment book and closed it. "Sesshoumaru, Darling? How did you teach that girl how to dance so well, after all?"  
  
The dog demon snorted, "I would have dumped her the first night. Inu-yasha taught her how to dance in three days." Sesshoumaru opened his daily paper and began to read as he picked up his pipe again.  
  
Kikyo turned her head to look at Kagome as she helped pin the red, shimmering dress she wore. She eyed the girl very closely before looking at Inu-yasha who was talking to Miroku in the far corner of the stage. She turned back to Sesshoumaru and picked up her things. "Well, at least Inu- yasha has made her convincing enough on stage. I just hope he hasn't grown too attached to her."  
  
"Actually," Sesshoumaru started as he closed his newspaper momentarily, "I plan to keep her around for other things. We need a girl like her to make costumes and use her seeming skills every now and then. She wants to be discovered in the fashion industry, and a lot of those people come here for a good time. Perhaps she can have her work discovered here."  
  
Kikyo smiled and nodded. "I would agree, and with her new skills in dancing and song, I'm sure she will make a perfect dance partner during Inu- yasha's numbers. That way, people won't think Inu-yasha and I have a thing for each other any longer."  
  
Sesshoumaru chuckled. "We'll make her one of the dancing girls."  
  
Kikyo laughed as she picked herself up to leave. She walked out of the hall and back to her quarters while nodding to her fellow ladies as she left.  
  
Inu-yasha finished his conversation with Miroku and Sango handed Kagome the red dress back before going off to handle another task. Kagome opened her chest and took out a needle to make the small adjustment on the dress as Inu-yasha prowled up to her. She sat down and began to sew when she felt Inu-yasha creep up behind her. "You should be going that in the overlook booth, shouldn't you?" he said trying to give her a hint.  
  
Kagome smiled and got up slowly and took the dress and her needle to head to the stairway. Inu-yasha watched her for a moment before slowly sneaking away to follow her. Kagome turned around and smiled as Inu-yasha made his way closer to her. She placed the dress down in the booth atop the center table and put her needle safely inside as Inu-yasha came up from behind to pin her to the center column and make sure they were on the side that hid them from the eyes on stage. Kagome laughed silently as Inu-yasha pinned her wrists to the column momentarily before stealing a kiss. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her and pressed her between his body and the post. He continued to kiss her softly and let her hands wander into his silver mane.  
  
However, during their moment of hidden pleasure, neither had noticed the prying eyes of one individual who was smoking a cigarette in the back of the hall cloaked in shadow. He snorted as smoke puffed out of his nostrils and he put out the flaming stick of tobacco. Kouga watched as Inu-yasha gave in to his heart's desire, and Kagome ran her fingers threw his silver locks. He smirked as he watched both perform their forbidden act before shaking his head and looking at the smoldering cigarette in his claws. "So, Inu-yasha, this is why you have not been home these past two nights and daily meals," he said to himself as he chuckled and dropped the butt on the floor. "You know what you are, Dog Boy. Creatures of the night know what is forbidden in our line of work, and to claim one such being as your own and give your services freely to them is one of those rules."  
  
He turned his spying eye back to the balcony to watch Inu-yasha look into Kagome's eyes and whisper in her ear something sweet. Kouga scoffed, "You think this is all a game, until someone catches you cheating."  
  
Kouga pulled himself away from the wall and followed the shadows of the balcony to hide himself from his find until. He snickered at the column as he looked above, knowing that he would get his chance to get Inu-yasha back for everything.  
  
Sesshoumaru sat in his booth reading his paper casually as he lit his pipe to enjoy a good bit of smoke before the rehearsal started for the day. He was just getting interested in his story when Kouga pulled the page he was reading from him. "Good morning, Master Sesshoumaru!" he said innocently.  
  
Sesshoumaru scowled rather annoyed by his presence during his morning reading time. "Kouga!"  
  
The wolf demon looked over the paper for a good headline. "An other bank was robed I see."  
  
Sesshoumaru snorted as a puff of smoke passed through his lips. "Yes! It happened in Spain just the other day."  
  
Kouga nodded with a smirk curling around his face as he jumped down from the rise and into the chairs that now covered the dance floor. "People shouldn't take things so freely should they?"  
  
"Nope!" the dog demon said trying to return to his reading.  
  
Kouga continued dropping his hints. "Take our services for example. It's illegal for us to have any affairs with women and then give ourselves freely over to them."  
  
Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes and got out of his chair to grab his paper from Kouga. The wolf demon pulled way. "I mean, we are forbidden to have such affairs, are we not?" he asked innocently as a smirk spread across his face.  
  
Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "Yes, you are forbidden. Love is a mere figment of the imagination, and it will only cause trouble in the end if one so as believes in it."  
  
Kouga nodded as made a stern face to show his understanding. The dog demon jumped down to grab his paper once more, but Kouga continued. "Yet, in the event that say Kikyo were in love with a man, what would happen?"  
  
Sesshoumaru narrowed his brow. "Enough, Kouga! What are you inquiring?"  
  
The wolf shrugged his shoulders. "I'm merely curious, Master."  
  
The dog demon snorted as he snatched his paper from the wolf's claws. "In the event of such an affair, be it Kikyo or Inu-yasha for that matter, the relationship would jeopardize the Well de Rouge, and all our jobs. That is if they have not been discovered."  
  
Kouga smirked as he drew closer to his master. Sesshoumaru snarled, "Such a relationship would lead us all to ruin."  
  
Kouga grinned evilly for a moment before wiping it off his face to mock his master a little more. "Then, the relationship should end quickly before it creates anymore damage, should it not?"  
  
Sesshoumaru took hold of the wolf's shirt. "What mockery is this? What are you keeping from me?"  
  
Kouga raised his hands. "I have nothing to hide, my master. However, such events have unfolded, and the signs have flown..." he trailed off a bit to peer up at the balcony where Inu-yasha was whispering sweet nothings in Kagome's ear as she picked up her needle to fix the dress, "...over our heads?"  
  
Sesshoumaru caught the direction of his glace and followed it until his eyes came upon Inu-yasha and Kagome. He stood behind her with his arms around her waist and held her close as he pressed his lips to Kagome's ear and made her giggle.  
  
The dog demon's eyes glowed red and his demonic features popped out slightly as he growled in Kouga's face. The features melted away as he regained control of his emotions. He pulled the wolf close to him making him yip. "You breathe a word of this to a single soul, and I will eat you alive. Understand?"  
  
Kouga took a hard gulp and nodded quickly as sweat formed around his brow. The dog demon shoved him away and glared at the events that took place before his very eyes, in his hall. Why had he not seen it before?  
  
(I know, I know! Damn you Kouga, and "Oh no's are being cried out now. Keep faith, it gets interesting now. Even though I hate doing this to Inu- yasha and Kagome.)  
  
~~~~  
  
The lunch break came sooner than everyone had expected it too. Kagome began packing her chest and handed the finished red dress to Sango before locking it. Inu-yasha finished talking over steps with Miroku and the other gigolos before making his way to Kagome to aid her with the chest. He grabbed hold of the chest, "Let's go, I'm starved!"  
  
Kagome smiled. "I have some meats for sandwiches? I got that bread you like the other day while shopping for cloth." Inu-yasha beamed as he picked up her chest. He followed her as they made their way off stage.  
  
Suddenly, Sesshoumaru's voice roared from the stage, "Inu-yasha!"  
  
Both of them turned around to look for him among the ladies and gigolos. The dog demon appeared from the crowd with a glare in his eye. "In my office, now," he ordered as he turned away to head for the doors back stage.  
  
Kagome came to Inu-yasha's side. "What's his problem?"  
  
Inu-yasha narrowed his brow and shook his head just slightly as he put the chest down. "I don't know! Must have lost his pipe, or something."  
  
Suddenly Kouga leaned out from the booth beside them. "Perhaps! Yet nothing really ever is lost when Sesshoumaru keeps a watchful eye out. Nothing gets by him...even such events outside of this place."  
  
Inu-yasha and Kagome gave him a weird look for a moment. Inu-yasha doubled back from the stage, and hiss face turned red as he filled with anger. "You stinking snitch!"  
  
Inu-yasha went for his throat, but Kagome grabbed his arm. "Inu-yasha, don't!"  
  
Inu-yasha's eyes glowed red, and Kouga smirked. His voice hissed as he tried to speak through Inu-yasha's grip on his collar. "Yes, Inu-yasha! Listen to your little wench. Kill me, and everyone will know the secret you hide from them."  
  
Inu-yasha growled, and Kouga sneered, "I wonder what Kikyo will say if the great, Half Karat Diamond suddenly went soft."  
  
Inu-yasha pulled him closer. "You wouldn't dare!" he snarled.  
  
"Inu-yasha!" Sesshoumaru called out again. Inu-yasha shoved the wolf back into the booth, and let him fall into its seat. "You'll pay for this, I swear it!"  
  
He turned to Kagome as her eyes began to swell. "Go to your hotel, and stay there until I come for you. With any hope, none of this has reached Kikyo's ears."  
  
Kagome narrowed her brow. "What would happen if she does?"  
  
"Inu-yasha, now!" Kagome jumped at the sound of his roar.  
  
Inu-yasha grabbed her shoulders. "I'll come to you later, I promise." Inu- yasha looked over his shoulder for a moment and then returned to her. "I love you!" he whispered and made his way after Sesshoumaru.  
  
Kagome looked at Kouga as he got out of the booth and rubbed his throat. The wolf looked at her with a smirk. Kagome glared at him. "What make you think you can be so cruel to do such a thing?"  
  
The wolf sneered and leaned in closer. "I just did you a favor, Missy! Inu-yasha is a gigolo if you have forgotten, and in the event that you have let me remind you. He sells his body to women for pleasure. What makes you think that he would hand himself over to you freely and vow never to have sex with another women again?"  
  
Kagome took a hard gulp but held her ground. "Inu-yasha's work has nothing to do with what I feel for him, nor what he feels for me. He loves me!"  
  
Kouga snorted, "That's what you think! For now you have nothing to worry about, but when the curtain falls, and the show is over, Inu-yasha will be a gigolo again, and you a poor seamstress. The dream is over as soon as you take the last bow."  
  
Kouga turned his shoulder and walked away from her, as Miroku and Sango came up to her from behind. Sango placed her hand on Kagome's shoulder as tears formed in her eyes. "It's all my fault! I shouldn't have come here. Grandpa was right. I should have stayed home."  
  
Sango tried to comfort her, but Kagome slipped out of her grasp as flew out the door. Sango crossed her arms as Miroku watched Kouga disappear behind the stage. "I don't like this, Sango. Our musical could suffer if we loose Kagome."  
  
Sango leaned into his body for comfort. "Sesshoumaru will be mad, but I have faith. Inu-yasha has gotten us this far; he won't let Sesshoumaru cut Kagome out of the play...and out of his heart."  
  
Miroku looked at her. "Do you think he truly loves her?"  
  
Sango looked at the curtain and leaned her head against his shoulder. "It's written in his eyes when he looks at her. He's not acting when he dances with her. It's love...true love!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay, lets stop right there for today! (Sound of audience whining) Hey! Leave more reviews and I won't leave you hanging all the time, okay? Besides, I haven't left a good cliffy in a long time. Keep the faith; it only gets more suspenseful from here on.  
  
See you next time! (Oh, I am so evil!) 


	15. Too Many Secrets

Disclaimer; The original characters in the based story are not mine and the characters that are originally in the series are not mine. Characters of my own creation are added to the story; otherwise the characters belong to the original author.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Well de Rouge (An Inu-yasha X Moulin Rouge Tale)  
  
No talking, just writing! I'm sure you're all dying to hear the fight, so I'll just talk later.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 15; Too Many Secrets  
  
Inu-yasha opened the door to Sesshoumaru's office and walked in silently as he closed the door. He watched as his brother smoked his pipe wildly as he looked at the painting of their father hanging on the wall. Inu-yasha tried not to make eye contact and stood beside him and looked at the portrait.  
  
"Whatever that wolf told you--"  
  
Inu-yasha never got a chance to finish before he felt something strike his face and he felt to the floor feeling his cheek sting with pain. Sesshoumaru loomed over him, "I didn't have to hear anything. My eyes have seen enough to make me want to pull them out of their sockets."  
  
His voice was like an angry snake's as he tried to keep his voice down. Inu-yasha pushed himself to his feet as Sesshoumaru glared at him. "Are you a fool? Do you even remember what such a thing did to our father?"  
  
Inu-yasha felt his cheek turn hot as he returned his brother's stare. "I'm not a fool, and I'm not my father. I'm not married!"  
  
Sesshoumaru snarled, "Yet!"  
  
Inu-yasha snorted and turned away. The dog demon turned away and put his pipe down full force in his ashtray. "Why didn't I see it coming? I thought you of all people were above such a foolish child's game."  
  
"It's not a child's game!" Inu-yasha snapped, "Kagome loves me, and I love her!"  
  
Sesshoumaru turned around to scoff, "Oh please, spare me!"  
  
"It's true!" Inu-yasha said as he began pacing around the room. "You can't tell me this isn't real anymore. I know it is! I feel it whenever I'm with her, when I kiss her, when I hold her in my arms."  
  
Sesshoumaru pounded his fist on his desk. "Enough, I won't hear it! You know you're place and you stature in this place. You are a gigolo, and a high priced one at that!"  
  
Inu-yasha crossed his arms. "What if I don't want to be a gigolo anymore? What about what I want from this world?"  
  
"The world is a cruel place, Inu-yasha! It is unforgiving and uncaring!" Sesshoumaru looked at his brother, as Inu-yasha turned away. "You think you can face it? With all the things you've done here, you think the world will just open it's arms to you?"  
  
Inu-yasha turned to him and glared. "At least I'd have Kagome, and we could face it together."  
  
Sesshoumaru snorted and turned away once more. Inu-yasha gripped the back of a chair. "I love her! I'd do anything to keep her out of harm."  
  
"Oh, really?" the dog demon mocked as he picked up his pipe again. "This company depends on you and Kikyo to work together. If I loose one of you, everyone suffers. The world would put us out on the streets, Inu-yasha."  
  
The gigolo scowled, "You can't point the finger at me. We both know that's not true. All you'd have to do is replace me."  
  
The dog demon growled, "Oh! Then point out the other half-breed in this whorehouse?"  
  
Inu-yasha growled, "Why do you need a half-breed to do your dirty work? No one outside this place knows that I become human one night a month."  
  
Suddenly, Sesshoumaru turned around and looked at him. Slowly he raised one of his claws and point to him. "You weren't here all day and night that Sunday. Were you with her?"  
  
Inu-yasha crossed his arms. "That's none of your business!"  
  
Sesshoumaru jumped over his desk and got close to his brother. "I warn you now, Inu-yasha! If you so much as--"  
  
"What?" Inu-yasha snapped, "What, Ses? Do you think I had sex with her? I wouldn't be so stupid to have sex with a woman I was in love with."  
  
Sesshoumaru looked him over carefully before turning back to pick up his pipe. Inu-yasha smirked as he turned his head to the side reviewing the memories in his head. "I made love with her!"  
  
The dog demon turned and showed his eyes in a full blaze of red. Inu-yasha waited until the glowing dimmed and his eyes returned to normal. He began to make his way around the furniture as he approached his brother. "I stayed with Kagome the night of the new moon, and let her see me as I really am. I let her touch the body you think is worthless. Well, I made love to her in that worthless body of mine, and you know what? She thinks that that body is priceless. Kagome sees it as my soul...as my heart! She loves me for the person I am inside of this body that you use to make a profit off of."  
  
Sesshoumaru let his demonic features pop out just a bit to try and intimidate his brother, but it failed as the features melted away. "You fool! You've put us all in jeopardy with the nonsense that girl has put into your head."  
  
He turned away and put his pipe in his mouth. "I keep enough of you secrets, but this one is the icing on the cake. I hold too many secrets about you know."  
  
He discarded the tobacco in his pipe and looked at him. "End it! Kagome can stay until she is no longer needed, but if Kikyo discovers her you know she'll be gone. End this game, Inu-yasha, before Kikyo ends it for you!"  
  
Inu-yasha glared at his brother before heading to the door. "This time, Ses, the game ends when I want it to! And I say it's no longer a game!"  
  
The dog demon snorted, "You're right! It's personal...too personal!"  
  
~~~~  
  
Kagome paced in her room waiting for the door to open. What could this all mean? Sure she knew the danger involved in Kikyo discovering she had been with one of her clients and that she was at risk for being a fraud. Still, the look and sound of his voice told her that Sesshoumaru was not pleased with the situation.  
  
Kagome looked over the unfinished white dress that was cloaked over her manikin. The skirt was the last thing that needed to be pinned now to the top. She busied herself by pulling the skirt over the manikin and pining it at the base of the top. She made sure the skirt was inside out so that she wouldn't sew the seam the wrong way and ruin the dress.  
  
The skirt and the torso of her white dress were made with her white bed sheets. She had cleaned them the day before and placed a new fresh ivory pair. Kagome felt weird about the whole sheet thing. The sheets that they had made love in had now become a part of a musical's costume. However, the thought had merit. She could wear the dress whenever he wasn't near, and be wrapped in his essence and passion that had invisibly stained her former bed sheets. Kagome could still smell him in the dress. The musk, earthy scents that made her adore him so much. The idea had merit!  
  
She then picked up what was left of her sheets, and found only scraps. There was nothing to make the sleeves that were supposed to hang off her shoulders, only enough for the white shirt Inu-yasha would wear under his red coat. Kagome sat back on her heels and sighed as she looked at her dress. She had used up the rest of her cloth, and she wouldn't be able to buy at least another yard until next week after the play.  
  
Kagome pushed herself to her feet after putting the final pin in place. She looked over her work and began to wonder how she would make the rags now to cover it with no cloth what so ever. Kagome had put herself in a hole, and with little time to dig herself out of it.  
  
Suddenly the door clicked, and Kagome spun around to spy her Inu-yasha still wearing his red coat and dance scrubs. He had a long white box tucked under his left arm, and he placed it down on her nightstand as he closed the door with his foot. Kagome approached him slowly as he put his hands in his pockets. Inu-yasha didn't make eye contact with her, and walked past her to look over her progress on her dress.  
  
"Inu-yasha?" she managed to mumble. Kagome took a few steps toward him again and placed her hand against his back. "Inu-yasha, what's wrong?"  
  
He let out a silent sigh and walked back in the other direction, still not looking at her. Kagome watched him. "Inu-yasha, please tell me what's wrong? You can tell me! It's just me! Kagome, remember?"  
  
Inu-yasha removed the red jacket and hung it up on the bedpost. He turned around and looked at her finally, as his hand smoothed across her face. He closed his eyes and his face told her he was trying to think of the right thing to say. "Sesshoumaru knows!"  
  
Kagome touched his hand. "How much?"  
  
Inu-yasha turned away from her again and leaned against her washroom's door with his head pressed against his arms as he hunched over. "Everything!" he muttered.  
  
He dropped his hand to the side and let his head hold up his body weight. Kagome came up from behind him and wove her arms between his and his torso, and hooked them around his shoulders so she could press herself against his back. "This is all my fault!"  
  
"No!" he cracked softly, "It's Kouga's...and mine! I was being too bold in front of him and I spilled everything like spilt milk."  
  
He turned around and looked at her as she moved her arms around so her hands could grip the front of his shirt. "I didn't mean to, I just wanted to prove that...that you're not some fling. You're something! Something precious to me!"  
  
Kagome blinked her eyes a few times, before leaning her head against his heart. Inu-yasha held her close to him and put his nose in her hair.  
  
His eyes then fell on the pile of cloth scraps and he narrowed his brow. "Are you out of cloth?"  
  
Kagome stood up right and looked back, and then nodded sadly. "I won't have any money until after the musical, and I can't finish my dress with out at least a yard of cloth."  
  
Inu-yasha looked at her as her eyes were turned away, and then took a quick look over her body trying to picture her in the dress. He grinned as he began to play with her hair again to try and get the style he had picked out with her the other day. Kagome smiled as she felt his claws comb through her hair to fix it into the bun and stray locks of hair that framed her face. He chuckled as he put her hair up again for a moment, and held it there as he kissed the exposed skin on her neck that her hair had hidden.  
  
Kagome moaned to show her satisfaction with his notion, and leaned into his chest for him to hold her and savor the taste of her skin a moment longer. She opened her eyes to look out her balcony window. "What did Sesshoumaru say when you told him?"  
  
Inu-yasha picked his head up and felt annoyed that she still wanted to talk about this, still, he knew she had a right to know. "He told me to end it before Kikyo finds out."  
  
Kagome turned around and narrowed her brow. "What does Kikyo have to do with any of this?"  
  
Inu-yasha leaned his forehead against hers for a moment before picking it up again. "Kikyo and I are a team, Kagome. We both make the major profits that keep the Well de Rouge in business. If one of us looses our line of work, the whole thing fails."  
  
Kagome looked at him. "Still, Kikyo?"  
  
Inu-yasha groaned and tried to find a better way to make her understand. "Kikyo can only sleep with men. I can only sleep with women."  
  
"And that goes for the rest of the ladies and gigolos, but why you and Kikyo?"  
  
"Because we're high price! The others don't work for a large sum; they get paid one flat rate. A gigolo in my stature can make thousands in hours depending on the amount. Part of that money goes to my brother to support the others and the daily shows."  
  
Inu-yasha moved away from her for a moment and leaned against the bedpost. "Kikyo can't make a lot of money on her own, and still have something left over. You have to work afternoons just to make up for all of it."  
  
Inu-yasha turned around and looked at her as he leaned his back against the post. "Bottom line is if Kikyo discovered everything that happened this past week, she'd kick you out of the Well de Rouge...and out of my life."  
  
Kagome shook her head. "No! Only Sesshoumaru has the power to do that, doesn't he?"  
  
Inu-yasha put on a stern face that almost frightened her. This was a far more serious matter. "Kikyo and I both have rights above the others. Technically, we too have power over the business affairs, but Kikyo is a head of me due to lack of work. Right now, whatever she says, goes."  
  
Kagome hugged herself. "How much power does she have? Where did she get it all?"  
  
Inu-yasha narrowed his brow, "I'll give you one guess!"  
  
Kagome shot him a look of complete loss. It wasn't until Inu-yasha gave her that look that said, "You know who I'm talking about!" that the picture finally became clearer.  
  
Kagome's eyes widened in fear, "The Duke!"  
  
Inu-yasha nodded slowly. "Exactly! So, until this mess clears, we need to wait it out. I know Sesshoumaru will do everything in his power to keep her from messing with the musical, but--"  
  
"Wait!" Kagome stopped him and clutched his arm. "Miroku's musical is apart of this too?"  
  
Inu-yasha turned away, and Kagome leaned into his body. "She's using him to her advantage."  
  
"She has the upper hand in this matter. I told you it was a matter of using people in this business. She uses his money and power through. It was something I took notice of the day he came into business with us."  
  
Inu-yasha comforted her for a moment before putting her on her feet and walking over to retrieve the white box he had placed on her nightstand. He handed it to her, and Kagome touched the box for a moment. "What's this?"  
  
He smiled and pressed the top of the box to her stomach so he could get closer to her. "It's for you!"  
  
Kagome wrapped her arms around the box and looked down at the white cardboard. "Did you get this for me?"  
  
Inu-yasha grinned. "Maybe!" he teased. Kagome smiled back as she opened the box slowly and moved the wrapping paper away. Kagome's eyes widened when her eye fell on what she found. She placed the box down and lifted her gift out of the box. "Lace!"  
  
Inu-yasha wrapped his arms around her. "It's French Lace! See the patterns? The stitch work is done by hand, not at the looms."  
  
Kagome unrolled the lace and ran her hand over it. "It's so soft, and light, too!" She held it up to look over its pattern. "It's beautiful!"  
  
He suddenly took it from her hands and walked over to the manikin that held up her unfinished white dress. He placed it over the torso of the dress. Inu-yasha looked for her reaction, and she smiled. "Use it for the rest of the dress."  
  
Kagome looked at him and shook her head. "No! It would look more like a wedding dress then."  
  
Inu-yasha looked at the dress and then returned at her. "Well, technically the prince and the milkmaid marry at the end of the musical."  
  
Kagome smiled and began to pick at the pink diamond Inu-yasha had given her so long ago. Inu-yasha saw her fingers playing with it and removed the lace for a moment and came around Kagome to wrap it around her body and show her in the mirror. Kagome giggled as he forced her to look at herself in the mirror. "See? It works with your curves."  
  
Kagome blushed, embarrassed to admit that the lace did suit her figure. Inu-yasha ran his hands over her curves as he put his nose in her hair to smell her scent. She let her hand follow his until he began to get closer to her breasts. "Stop!" she giggled.  
  
"What?" he chuckled back to her, knowing that she was trying to take a break from all the events that had taken place in this tiny room. He had made her sore, and she needed a moment's time to recover. Inu-yasha understood his limitations, and he didn't plan to push his luck. When Kagome was ready, she would let him know.  
  
He changed the subject and turned back to the cloth left over. "You have cloth still. You have three whole yards of it here."  
  
Inu-yasha let go of her and picked up the remainder of the white cloth collected. Kagome touched it. "I can't use this. This is all that remains for the shirt that goes with our jacket."  
  
He looked at her, "This is all that remains?"  
  
"Well, of the normal white cloth. The rest of the sheets I used on the dress."  
  
Inu-yasha looked at the dress and then at left over cotton. "Use it for the rags!" he whispered as he handed it to her.  
  
Kagome shook her head. "What about your shirt?"  
  
Inu-yasha looked at his jacket and then began unbuttoning his shirt and taking it off his broad shoulders. Kagome watched him as he made an attempt to tease her once more, and made her laugh. He picked up the red jacket and put it on without his shirt. He walked over to the mirror and admired the look of black dance pants, a red jacket, and a bare chest. "It looks better without the shirt! Don't you think?"  
  
He turned to get her opinion, and Kagome blushed. Inu-yasha walked over to her and loomed over her a little. She shook her head. "And you say I have no mercy!"  
  
Inu-yasha beamed and snorted a laugh as he pressed his form a little closer. Kagome placed her palm over the center of his upper chest, and let her fingers draw down the line dividing his chest. She looked at him. "If you think it works, why ask me?"  
  
He leaned in closer to her. "Because I want to wear it like this for you."  
  
Kagome smiled. "You'll be tempting to all the other women in the crowd though."  
  
"I know!" he whispered, "But they won't be able to touch it like you will."  
  
Kagome laughed, "You forget! Sango is going to have her hands on your body, too!"  
  
Inu-yasha tilted his head back. "Right!"  
  
Kagome smiled as he bent back down to look into her eyes. She felt his lips brush against hers. "The only thing is, she'll be acting. When we hold and touch each other, we don't have to act."  
  
He finished and pressed his lips to hers, and she kissed him back as his claws combed through her hair again. Inu-yasha made it short and sweet as to not torture her too much.  
  
Kagome, however, still had a question lingering in her mind as he kissed her softly. "Inu-yasha?" she managed to mumble between kisses. Inu-yasha moaned into their kiss to show his response. Kagome waited until the kiss was over. "What if the duke tells Kikyo?"  
  
Inu-yasha kissed her for a moment. "He won't! Not as long as I'm near. The duke won't show his face until long after the musical."  
  
Kagome leaned into his next kiss. "What if he tells her though? What will we do?"  
  
Inu-yasha kissed her a bit more passionately to try and make her loose concentration on Kikyo. He didn't exactly answer her. "It doesn't matter, now. If Kikyo finds out, I'll find a way to keep you safe. You're going to be in that musical. It won't be the same without you."  
  
Kagome let his tear away at her senses a little longer. "What will she do?"  
  
He removed the red coat from around his shoulders and led her over to her chair to have her sit in front of him on his lap as he let his hands run along her curves. Kagome stopped him for a moment. "What will she do?"  
  
Inu-yasha took a hard gulp and tried to control his breathing. "She might do nothing at all. We don't know what Kikyo might think of. Until then, I'll take whatever she throws at me. I'll meet the challenge."  
  
Kagome smiled and kissed him as he held her close to him. They held each other for a long moment of time, and it was during the time that Inu-yasha kissed her shoulder, that she realized he made no promises here. If Kikyo discovered, then maybe, just maybe...no, she wouldn't. She wouldn't find out. The duke had not been seen in days. It would all remain a secret. Her drug overdose, her discovery, and her love for Inu-yasha would all be kept secret. She just had to wait it out.  
  
But Kouga's words still echoed in her head. When the curtain falls...what will happen to them when the curtain falls?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay! I want you all to know that I have revised Chapter 1. Inu-yasha's introduction song has changed into a duet with Sesshoumaru doing "Zidler's Rap". You'll like it, it shows off Inu-yasha's gigolo side much better than before.  
  
See you soon! 


	16. Broken

Disclaimer; The original characters in the based story are not mine and the characters that are originally in the series are not mine. Characters of my own creation are added to the story; otherwise the characters belong to the original author.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Well de Rouge (An Inu-yasha X Moulin Rouge Tale)  
  
Okay, this is it, folks! This is the chapter that changes the situation entirely. So send me reviews if it hits home. I said it before and I'll say it again, it kills me to do this to Inu-yasha and Kagome, but it's a true test of how strong their love is. After all, the show must go on!  
  
I believe that there are only five chapters left for me to write, and a sixth chapter will be an Authors note. So, twenty chapters! Not half bad, I'll break even!  
  
All right! Chapter 16! Get your mean hateful words out now!  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 16; Broken  
  
Kikyo sat in the overlook to watch the rehearsal of the musical. She was impressed with Kagome's dancing, and found her to be the perfect double for her. She certainly had some of the things down, and the ability to make her voice sultry enough to sound like hers was quite impressive.  
  
Yet, one song that she sang with Inu-yasha did not sound similar, and that was the love song between the milkmaid and the prince.  
  
Inu-yasha sat in a perch atop the stage and looked down as Kagome who was busy looking like she was doing something. The both of them had gotten over a fight about his character's arranged engagement to the princess. The milkmaid told him that if he did not agree with it, then he should speak his mind if he is in love with another. Both now sat far from each other and Inu-yasha would often look at the milkmaid. Both characters knew the other was in love with them, yet neither had the will to confess.  
  
Miroku suddenly interrupted them, "All right, we've got the next seen down! Lets move to the confession scene where they sing the love song."  
  
Kikyo snorted out of her own humor and decided to leave as Inu-yasha sang the first line.  
  
*Never knew I could feel like this  
  
Like I've never seen the sky before  
  
I want to vanish inside your kiss  
  
Seasons may change, winter to spring  
  
But I Love You, until the end of time*  
  
Kikyo exited the back door of the hall to get some air. She hugged herself and acted as though she could not hear them. The acting was so strong between Kagome and Inu-yasha. It was so good it almost seemed...real?  
  
Kikyo shook her head. To think that Inu-yasha could love was out of the question. Both she and Inu-yasha had risen above such a foolish thing. They had made their own walls against it, and both knew what the dangers were.  
  
Kikyo stood outside in the summer air listening to the singing still slightly sneaking through the door. However, her attention caught a more interesting character across the street. One of her clients!  
  
She crossed the street to great him as he tipped his hat. Kikyo smiled and stood before him. "Duke Naraku!"  
  
Naraku bowed and looked her over. "Is it really you?"  
  
Kikyo gave him a rather odd look. "Of course it's me, why would it not be, Darling?"  
  
*Come what may  
  
Come what may  
  
I will love you  
  
Until my dying day*  
  
Naraku took a step closer and put his lips to her ear. "It was almost a week ago that I asked for you, and we were to have dinner. You rejected going any further."  
  
Kikyo arched and eyebrow. "Darling, I was in Burgundy with my aunt. She was dying!"  
  
Naraku closed his eyes and hissed. "I know it wasn't you. It was another girl who had dressed herself like you."  
  
Kikyo felt lost. "How could that be possible? Darling my doubles are made for the show, not services."  
  
Naraku looked into his courtesan's eyes. "Then, this one must be new?"  
  
Kikyo's eyes suddenly widened, and she looked at the doors to the Well de Rouge.  
  
^Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place  
  
Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace  
  
^* Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste*^  
  
^It all revolves around you^  
  
Naraku leaned in closer looking in the same direction. "That isn't all, Dearest! It seems that Inu-yasha has taken a liking to this one. I have often seen him with her in the streets. Many times since this past Sunday, my maid has seen them go into the old hotel around the corner.  
  
"I would think, it is possible, that Inu-yasha and the girl who has taken your place are having an affair."  
  
^* And there's no mountain too high  
  
No river too wide  
  
Sing out this song  
  
I'll be there by your side  
  
Storm clouds may gather  
  
And stars may collide  
  
*But I love you *  
  
^I love you ^  
  
^*Until the end of time*^  
  
Kikyo suddenly started to walk in the direction of the doors and Naraku grinned as he followed her. Kikyo picked up the pace for the doors seemed to get further and further away. Could it be? Was it true?  
  
She flew the door open and watched the end of the music number as Naraku lumbered in behind her. Kikyo's face turned red as she watched Inu-yasha put his arms around Kagome from the back of the alleyway between the seats.  
  
^*Come what may, come what may, I will love you*^  
  
*The greatest thing you'll ever learn... *  
  
Kagome smiled as he sang his solo line, and it was enough to make Kikyo want to burst. She made her way down the alleyway toward the stage. "This ends now!" she hissed.  
  
^* I will love you, Come what may, Yes, I will love you  
  
Come what way, I will love you, til my dying day*^  
  
Toward the end of the number, Inu-yasha leaned into her body a little more. Here the characters were to kiss as the song came to an end, but a voice called out from the seating.  
  
"STOP!!!"  
  
Everyone's heads twitched in the direction of the voice. Kagome and Inu- yasha were still swimming in each other's embrace as the voice broke their concentration and Kagome's eyes averted to Kikyo when she felt Inu-yasha's breath move away from her lips.  
  
Kikyo came forward ad climbed on top of the catwalk as she looked at the two of them. Inu-yasha loosened his embrace around Kagome and stood up straight. Kagome looked at him to find some sort of signal as to what was going on. She turned back to Kikyo as she let her hands fall limply at her sides.  
  
Kouga and the other gigolos all stood up with the ladies. Miroku felt Sango take hold of his arm and he placed his hand on hers. "What's happening?" she whispered.  
  
"I'm not sure!" he responded.  
  
Everyone was dead silent as Kikyo kept her eyes fixed on Inu-yasha and Kagome, however, it seemed she was staring down one of them. Slowly, Kikyo began to make their way toward them. Her pace quickened as she got closer to them, and once she did it became clear who she was looking at.  
  
Kikyo raised her hand in one full motion, and slapped Kagome hard enough to make her loose her balance from the force. Kagome looked up as Kikyo began to continue her assault, but Inu-yasha grabbed her wrist. "Kikyo, what are you doing?" he growled.  
  
She ignored him until she tried to make a struggle to get free and he grabbed her other wrist and pulled her away. Kikyo's hair fell out of its clip and tumbled over her shoulders and face like a black vale. "You little whore!" she snapped. Kagome's eye widened in fear as Inu-yasha tried to restrain her. Kikyo spat in her face, and Inu-yasha finally snapped.  
  
He thrust Kikyo around with all of his strength. "Don't you dare call her that!" he roared.  
  
Kikyo felt her whole body tremble for a moment, but her anger kept her from showing any of it. She glared at him and regained her control as she pulled her wrists free and huffed in his face as he glared at her. "It is true then! The great Half-Karat Diamond, Inu-yasha, has fallen in love with a seamstress."  
  
Suddenly, there was a round of gasps and chatter that moved around the Diamond Dogs. Shippo climbed out on stage and watched as he came to Miroku and Sango's side. Inu-yasha's eyes widened in fear as Kikyo glared at him. Kagome pulled herself to her feet and put her hand on her hot cheek and whipped the spit from it.  
  
The noise in the room got higher and Inu-yasha couldn't take it. "Enough!" he spoke sternly and coolly. Everyone turned to him and waited as he turned back to Kikyo who crossed her arms.  
  
"Do you deny it?" Kikyo asked.  
  
Kagome felt her stomach want to pop. Inu-yasha looked at Kagome, but Kikyo clutched his shirt. "Don't look at her, look at me and confess that it's true. Is it true that you've been snooping out of the Well de Rouge to sleep in the same bed with her? Have you been deceiving us all into believe that she was only a dance partner? Don't lie to me, Inu-yasha; I know it to be true! You've given your body freely to her, and she has given hers to you as well. You've been having sex with her, haven't you? You've been screwing around with her!"  
  
Kagome shook her head as she watched Inu-yasha take the blows. She couldn't stand it! Why couldn't he fight back? 'Deny it! I don't care if you lie to her! Deny all of it! I won't be hurt! Say you don't love me and that we never had sex. At least half of it would be true,' Kagome thought  
  
Kikyo continued as she spat in his face with every word. "Confess it, Inu- yasha! She's your whore! Don't deny it! You've been with her; indulging her and kissing her...you've had an affair! You've had sex with--"  
  
"Stop it!" Kagome cried, and Kikyo spun around to look at her, as did everyone else in the crowd. Kagome felt the weight of everyone's stare as she tried to find the strength in all of it. Inu-yasha's eyes widened as he looked at her, 'Kagome!'  
  
Kagome looked at the floor and closed her eyes for a moment. She took a deep breath and looked into Kikyo's eyes as her heart began to break. "We haven't been having sex."  
  
Kikyo slithered up to her glaring at her. Inu-yasha went on the defense, ready to pull Kikyo away from her at any moment. Kouga sat in the back and began smirking about the whole thing until his dance partner elbowed him. Naraku however showed he was pleased with his pay back, letting Kikyo do his dirty work made Inu-yasha's helpless to stop the onslaught.  
  
Kagome felt the heat of Kikyo's stare as they looked at each other. They were close enough now that their onlookers could see the similarities between them. Kagome felt her heart beat quicken in fear.  
  
Kikyo hissed, "Then explain why he has been coming to you at night."  
  
Kagome took a hard gulp and held down her fear to be strong. Inu-yasha took a step forward. "Don't look at her! Look at me, Kikyo! I'm the one who deceived you!"  
  
Everyone gasped at Inu-yasha's confession, but Kikyo didn't move as she glared at Kagome. "Well? Do you deny it? Do you call Inu-yasha a liar, or do you feel the same for him as he does for you?"  
  
Everyone turned back to Kagome and Kikyo. Kagome gasped for air. "I didn't have sex with him."  
  
Kikyo waited and Kagome stood up right. "Inu-yasha and I made love to each other, and yes... I do love Inu-yasha."  
  
Everyone gasped, even Kouga but merely because she had the will to do so. No one had dared to stand before Kikyo and confess something so forbidden. Inu-yasha felt his heart sink, and he lowered his eyes for a moment. He looked at Kagome, and suddenly felt a small smile form around his face.  
  
Kikyo sneered and turned to Inu-yasha, as he stood tall before her. Kagome saw his smile and returned it weakly.  
  
Kikyo stomped off to the catwalk and stopped midway. She spun around and looked at all of them as she fixed her hair to look more decent. "Who is in charge of this play?"  
  
Miroku reluctantly stepped forward. Kikyo crossed her arms. "You have from now until next rehearsal to change the ending of your musical. In the end, I want the princess to claim the prince...not the milkmaid, and that love song between them to be taken out."  
  
Sango stepped forward. "You can't do that!"  
  
"Yes she can!" Inu-yasha spoke suddenly, "She has the power to do so."  
  
Kagome looked in the back of the hall to find a man walking towards Kikyo. 'The duke!'  
  
Naraku stood before them at Kikyo's side, and she continued. "You, Sango, will play the milkmaid, and I will play the princess."  
  
Inu-yasha's eyes opened and he lifted his head as his jaw dropped. Shippo ran out and scowled, "Kagome is the milkmaid! Who will Kagome play if she can't be the milkmaid?"  
  
Kikyo smirked. "Kagome is will be what she is and always will be. She will be the seamstress making the costumes." She turned to Kagome. "I want you out of the musical, and out of here!"  
  
Inu-yasha clenched his jaw and glared at Kikyo. Kagome shook her head. "You can't do this! There's not enough time to rehears a new part anyway."  
  
Kikyo sneered, "Then they will have to find away to make time. I can learn my part quick enough. I've watched all of you. As for the new ending, you will have to work through the night."  
  
Kagome shook her head and stomped her feet as tears formed in her eyes. "You can't do this!"  
  
"Who says she can't?" Naraku suddenly spoke aloud, and Kagome looked at him.  
  
Inu-yasha marched forward. "Kikyo, stop this nonsense! You may have the power to control us now, but there are some things that even the duke has no power over."  
  
Kikyo walked towards him. "Are you trying to break a deal with me?"  
  
Kagome looked at Inu-yasha and remembered what he had told her. His only chance to get an advantage over her would be to break even with Kikyo, prove himself to her.  
  
"This girl has broken your senses. You can't strike a deal with me."  
  
Inu-yasha stood his ground as he stopped at her feet. "I'll prove it to you. I'm not broken!"  
  
Sango put her hand on Kagome's shoulder. "What are they talking about? Broken?"  
  
Suddenly, Sesshoumaru appeared from the curtain. "It is a challenge to see if Inu-yasha can meet the standards of a gigolo. If he can still perform his services without feeling."  
  
Kagome looked at him wide eyed. "You mean, if he can still sleep with another woman, and not think about whether or not they care for him?"  
  
Sesshoumaru nodded. "In this case, it will be a test to see if Inu-yasha can put you out of his mind enough to service his client. If he is not able to rise above that, then he no longer can meet the standards...or in other words..."  
  
Kagome looked at Inu-yasha and felt a tear roll down her cheek as she mumbled, "Broken!"  
  
Inu-yasha glared at Kikyo as she took the challenge into consideration. "What is the deal?"  
  
Inu-yasha puffed up his chest. "If I prove that I'm not broken, then Kagome stays in the play and the ending remains the way it is."  
  
Naraku grinned, "And if you can't?"  
  
Kikyo waited for the other side of the deal. Inu-yasha tried to control the breaking in his heart and his breathing. He closed his eyes for a moment and reopened his golden orbs. "If I can't do it, then Kagome is dropped from the play, the ending in changed...and I vow to never see Kagome again."  
  
Kagome shook her head as her body trembled. "No!" she whimpered, but Sango held her as she began to weep.  
  
Kikyo tapped her finger on her arm and then grinned as she held out her hand. "We have deal, and before the duke, this makes it binding. You will do as you say."  
  
Kagome watched as she held back her sobs for a moment. Inu-yasha felt his chest sink before straightening his back. Kikyo's hand stuck out in the air alone for one moment, and the next, Inu-yasha's hand had taken it in his own. He looked at her. "Deal, and binding!"  
  
Kagome sunk to her knees as Inu-yasha's hand gripped Kikyo's and then parted. Kikyo left with Naraku not far behind. Inu-yasha watched them for a moment before he ran to Sesshoumaru. "Call my client and tell her to come after dark. I'll need sometime to get ready."  
  
Sesshoumaru did so, and Inu-yasha turned his attention to Kagome as she wept. "Shh! It's going to be okay, Kagome."  
  
"Inu-yasha!"  
  
He held her close to him for a moment before looking her in the eyes. "Stay here with Miroku and Sango. It will be easier with company at your side."  
  
Kagome wiped her tears. "But what about you?"  
  
Inu-yasha kissed her lips softly before everyone. "I go alone! I'll be alright!"  
  
Kagome shook her head as she began to sob again, and Inu-yasha held her close to him again as she wept.  
  
~~~~  
  
Darkness fell, and all of the Diamond Dogs sat in their underwear and scrub dance outfits. Many were fanning themselves to keep off the heat. Miroku sat in a booth with Sango trying to find a new way to end his play. "This is ridiculous! My musical has become trash the way this whore has turned it. The prince loves the milkmaid."  
  
Sango shook her head and kissed Miroku softly on the lips. He looked at her for a moment. "What was that for?" He asked gently.  
  
Sango smiled. "Have faith! Inu-yasha will think of something."  
  
Miroku shook his head. "No, no, no! The kiss! Why did you kiss me?"  
  
Sango closed her eyes for a moment. "Because I know that you will find a way to make this work. The prince doesn't have to love the princess to marry her. Many...do not marry out of love."  
  
Miroku hung his head. "Then, it will end in tragedy!" he said, and looked down at the blank sheets of paper before him. "It will all end in tragedy!"  
  
Kagome heard this and picked herself up to walk back stage and into Inu- yasha's room where he was getting ready. She pushed the door open since it was slightly ajar, and found him before his mirror putting on the dark eye makeup he wore when meeting his clients. He had to put his mask back on, but somehow, it seemed to not even be there when she looked at him. The mask he always used to wear was breaking.  
  
Inu-yasha placed his makeup brush down and looked in his mirror only to spy her staring back at him. He spun around and came to her quickly. "Kagome! You shouldn't be here!"  
  
Inu-yasha rushed to the door and closed it behind her as he took hold of Kagome's arms gently. Her eyes filled with tears as she touched his face, and then collapsed into his body. "You don't have to do this. I don't want you to do this. It's just a musical. I bear the loss of a part, but I can't bear loosing you."  
  
Inu-yasha held her close to his body. "It's not about the musical. It about my right to love whom I believe is worthy of it. Kikyo's jealousy is because she knows I'll leave her if I choose to be with you."  
  
Kagome looked up at him. "She cares for you?"  
  
Inu-yasha closed his eyes. "No! Kikyo doesn't feel love anymore. Once we thought we loved each other, but it changed when the clients got in the way. My jealousy was building and so was hers."  
  
He opened his eyes and ran his hand over her face. "She ended it because she didn't want to be broken. The Kikyo I knew, died the same day I met you."  
  
Kagome buried her face in his chest. Inu-yasha rested his head on Kagome's and ran his claws through her hair. "Kikyo knows that if I am broken, everything will depend on her. She can't control Naraku though. My power is her advantage over the duke turns her down, but I'm only good to her unbroken."  
  
Kagome opened her eyes. "So, getting rid of me will increase her chances of saving you from that."  
  
Inu-yasha chuckled. "No," he managed to mumble; "it will kill me without it...without you. Yet, knowing Kikyo she'll do anything to save herself. If it means tearing you away to keep her power over us all, then she'll go to far lengths to do so." Inu-yasha gripped her tightly to his body. "But she's gone to far when she tries to take you away. I'll die first before I part with you. Like our song says, 'I will love you until my dying day.'"  
  
Kagome pulled herself away just enough so she could kiss him. "Still, I don't want you to do this. It's to her advantage if it still gives her power."  
  
He smiled. "When the curtain falls, Kagome...Kikyo won't have that power over you and me anymore."  
  
He kissed her softly and let her tears roll freely, as he broke the kiss and put on a black satin dress shirt. He came back to her and looked into her eyes. "Do as I told you, and stay here until I get back? I'll need you when I get back."  
  
Kagome nodded and held his face as more tears came down her face. "Please, stay? You don't have anything to prove."  
  
Inu-yasha kissed her, and the nuzzled her face. "It's sex, Kagome. I only make love to you."  
  
Kagome whimpered, "Still, you'll be sharing your body with her."  
  
Inu-yasha grinned and put his lips against her forehead. "But not my soul!"  
  
He gripped Kagome's hand one last time as he kissed her forehead, and then forced himself to leave the room grabbing his coat along the way. Inu- yasha couldn't help but look at Kagome's face one last time. "I love you!" he whispered, feeling his heart start to feel heavy. He quickly turned and headed down the hall to the stage.  
  
Many sat up and watched as Inu-yasha made his march through the hall to the back door, and into the darkness. Kagome stood at the edge of the catwalk and watched as tears began to stream down her face. "Remember, I love you, too! I'd love you no matter what you are."  
  
She felt Sango's hand touch her shoulder and hold her from behind. "He loves you, Kagome! He will always love you."  
  
Kagome closed her eyes. "I know! It's just that I can't bear to see him like this. You didn't see the pain he was trying to hide in his eyes. It's not him that he's worried about breaking...he worried about breaking my heart."  
  
Sango held her, "Your love is strong enough. If he pulls through he loves you enough to do anything for you. If he doesn't, he still will, but he will do it even if it kills him."  
  
Kagome sobbed, "I don't want him to share his body with anyone else. He made love to me, and made love to him. Kikyo can't break that kind of bond...can she?"  
  
Sango closed her eyes, "If Kikyo can break your bond, or you break his bond with her, Inu-yasha is broken either way. However, if you broke his bond, then I would have to say, Kikyo is going to have on hell of a time trying to pick up the pieces."  
  
Kagome looked at the door and wept. 'Please, don't do this! I can stand not being with you, but I can't stand knowing that you'll be...unfaithful. I...If only you weren't a gigolo. If only you could be human now. No more pretending to be something you're not. You're human, Inu-yasha! You feel what humans feel. You're...so beautiful."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Cliffhanger, yes, but you need 'em every now and then.  
  
Next chapter is going to be very long, so you might want to get comfortable and be patient until it's finished. Have faith; because the show must go on...fuck I just gave it away.  
  
: D See you next time! 


	17. When Dreaming Ends

Disclaimer; The original characters in the based story are not mine and the characters that are originally in the series are not mine. Characters of my own creation are added to the story; otherwise the characters belong to the original author.  
  
Well de Rouge (An Inu-yasha X Moulin Rouge Tale)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ah! It's wonderful when you're the only person who knows how the whole thing will turn out...in the end. You guys have to stop guessing, you're taking all the fun out of it...well, your making it fun for me, but the rest is driving me crazy.  
  
Okay, breathing! Now that my thank you notes are done, and I have the time to spare as I work on the next chapter. By the way, no one told me what he or she thought of the whole Inu-yasha turning into a human when they made love for the first time. You party poopers, I thought that was the best part about the whole thing! : D  
  
All right enough crazy talk! By the way I have revised the parts where Inu- yasha and Kikyo are introduced into the story (Chapter 1). I found the song I was originally looking for in Inu-yasha's introduction and I plan on revising it to that. My original idea was to have a duet between Sesshoumaru and Inu-yasha using "Zilder's Rap". Now that I got the lyrics, I revised that chapter after this one is posted. You'll like the new way; it works a lot better with Inu-yasha's character.  
  
So, we left off with Inu-yasha leaving the Well de Rouge to prove that he's not "broken". Now in Moulin Rouge, we know that Satine does this to prove that she is not in love with Christian and to save the musical. Here we originally hear "El Tango de Roxanne". BUT, this is Well de Rouge. In this story, we hear Kagome repeat her song "One Day I'll Fly Away" and you'll see how that works later on in the next chapter.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 17; When Dreaming Ends  
  
Kagome sat on the stage rises, sewing what would be the rags that covered her white dress until the end...if the ending were still the same after Inu- yasha had returned.  
  
She looked at the clock, and saw that only a half and hour had gone by. Inu-yasha would still be eating dinner with his client. Kagome knew she shouldn't have been watching the clock, but she wanted to desperately for him to come rushing through the doors and scream, "It's over! You can still be in the musical." Yet, even at that, her heart was breaking. Kagome wanted him to pick her up in his arms and twirl her around in circles until she got dizzy, and then run away with him from this nightmare, but where would they go? Would it matter? Kagome had to stay in Paris to be discovered as a designer, and Inu-yasha had his work, not to mention the Well de Rouge was his home.  
  
Kagome wanted to leave, but Shippo came to her side a moment later. "I shined some of the shoes. I didn't make any tips this time though."  
  
Kagome smiled even though her cheeks were stained with cheeks. "It's okay, Shippo. Everyone has much bigger things on their minds tonight."  
  
Shippo frowned and looked at his pack of shoe polish and his rag. "Is Inu- yasha trying to save the musical?"  
  
Kagome nodded sadly, as Shippo climbed into her lap. "You love him a lot, don't you?" he asked, even though his tone of voice already told her he knew.  
  
"Yes, I do!"  
  
Shippo looked at her as he played with one of the finished pieces. "Miroku told me a very important thing when all of this happened."  
  
Kagome put her work down and held the little fox demon in her arms as he fascinated himself with the French lace. "Oh yeah? What was that?"  
  
"It's the line he wrote in his musical. 'The greatest thing you'll ever learn...'" he looked to her to finish it for him.  
  
Kagome smiled and gave him a little squeeze. "Is just to love, and be loved in return?"  
  
Shippo smiled and looked back at the lace. "That's my line in the musical! Do you remember how the story is told?"  
  
Kagome smiled, even though she knew how the story went, she let Shippo tell her thinking that perhaps this was his way of dealing with all of the silence. Little did either of them know, that the rest of the Diamond Dogs and gigolos were listening as Shippo told the story.  
  
"In a land far from here, a prince was being told to marry a princess, but she only wanted to marry him for his power and fame. He didn't love the princess either, and pleaded with his father to change his mind, but he didn't.  
  
"Then, one night the prince sneaked out of his castle, and followed a singing star. That's me, the Star of Truth! And the star says, 'The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return.' Then the prince falls asleep in a field, and the next morning, the milkmaid finds him. She brings him into her house, feeds him and then starts to sing a sad song. He finds her voice haunting and beautiful, until he hears the words the star. Then, he discovers he's in love with the milkmaid, and doesn't want to leave her, and sings her a love song and gives her his royal ring.  
  
"Then the evil princess comes to take him away, but he refuses, and disguises himself as a peasant to be with her one night. But the princess won't loose her chance at power, and gives an order to have the milkmaid sent away, and makes her believe the prince doesn't love her.  
  
"Then the star appears, and sings to her, 'The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return.' The prince runs away once more as a peasant, and they find each other in the wilderness, and do you know how they found each other, Kagome?"  
  
Kagome smiled. "How do they find each other, Shippo?"  
  
All of the gigolos pulled a lady close to them as they listened, knowing that this was the romantic part.  
  
"He knows that no one knows he's a peasant, and that no one else knows their love song. So, he sings his song to help her find him, and she responds until they find each other. Then the star shines to show them a way to escape the princess, and they live happily ever after."  
  
Kagome smiled and gave Shippo a tiny kiss in the cheek. "Thank you, Shippo!"  
  
The fox demon wrinkled his nose. "But Kikyo changed the ending. Now, it ends with the prince not being able to leave the castle, and the milkmaid gets lost in the wood. Then, the princess marries the prince, just as the milkmaid finds her way, and she thinks that the star was false, and never believes in love again."  
  
Kagome frowned and nuzzled his face. "I'm sure the prince still loved her though."  
  
"Maybe, but he never got to be with her."  
  
Kagome shut her eyes and lifted the fox off her lap and got to her feet. Shippo looked at her and followed her as she picked up her things. Miroku watched with Sango wrapped in his arms as Kagome came closer to them. "I'm going home. I can't stay here, any longer. I still need to finish my dress."  
  
Sango got to her feet and walked over to her. "But Inu-yasha asked you to stay here?"  
  
Kagome shook her head. "I can't! I need to try and get some rest."  
  
Sango smiled weakly and hugged her friend. "Don't worry, he'll make it, and he'll still love you in the end."  
  
Kagome put on a fake smile and headed for the door. Shippo looked down at his feet and wiggled his paws.  
  
~~~~  
  
Kagome walked into her room and shut the door behind her. She put her back to the door and began to cry as she slid down the door to the floor. She put her face in her arms and sobbed silently as tears refreshed the dry ones on her cheeks. Kagome lifted her head momentarily and looked at her dress. It was almost finished. All she had to do was sew the lace on. Yes, sewing would keep her mind off the whole matter for a while.  
  
She removed some of her clothing until she was in her undergarments to stay cool as she worked. It suddenly began to rain out side, and Kagome started to sew the lace on her dress. The setting reminded her of Inu-yasha and their first night together. Just touching the sheets made her feel his presence. Inu-yasha's human body belonged to her. No other woman would have that. Still, his heart...was his heart strong enough to keep him from building the walls? Could he fall in love with another?  
  
Kagome shook the thoughts from her head, and began to sing her sad song.  
  
(I follow the night  
  
Can't stand the light  
  
When will I begin to live again?)  
  
Kagome began to stitch the large portion of the lace on the front of her dress. She thought of him the whole time and of all their memories.  
  
(One day I'll fly away  
  
Leave all this to yesterday  
  
What more could your love do for me  
  
When will love be through with me  
  
Why live life from dream to dream  
  
And dread the day when dreaming ends)  
  
Her body felt cold suddenly, and her mind began to convince her that something wasn't right. Yet what it was, she couldn't put her finger on it.  
  
(One day I'll fly away  
  
Leave all this to yesterday  
  
Why live life from dream to dream)  
  
Kagome held up her completed dress and looked it over as she smiled. Only to place it at her side on her bed and curl up beside it  
  
(And dread the day when dreaming ends)  
  
She placed her hand over the lace and skirt. It only took a moment for the tears to start to fall once more.  
  
(One day I'll fly away  
  
Fly, fly ...)  
  
Suddenly, Kagome couldn't help but sob. She couldn't finish her song. Her heart was breaking and all Kagome could think of was just having his arms around her and his sweet kisses. Kagome needed the warmth of his body, and her heart was crying for his.  
  
A moment later, she fell asleep in tears.  
  
~~~~  
  
Kagome lay in her bed sleeping soundlessly, with her hands over the white dress. The tapping of rain on the windows was the only sound she could hear as she dozed. Then, suddenly a different sound came from the windows. Kagome opened her eyes, and heard knocking on her balcony window.  
  
Kagome pushed her body up and looked through the foggy glass to make out a figure. She pulled herself out of bed and rubbed her hand over the misty glass in order to see the figures face. Her heart leapt when she saw two golden eyes through the rainy glass. Her hand stayed in one place, and Inu- yasha placed his hand over it.  
  
Slowly, Kagome regained her senses and opened the doors, and just as she did so Inu-yasha blew into the room and pulled her close to him so he could kiss her. His kiss was such a shock that it took Kagome a minute to collect her thoughts and kiss him back. They were hungry, and Inu-yasha opened his mouth and hers to further indulge in the passionate kiss. It took a moment for her to realize he was crying, and that she was crying too. Yet, the kiss...this kiss was so good, neither of them wanted to pull their lips away just to ask what was wrong. (And for that matter, how did he get up there?)  
  
Kagome ran her hands over his wet chest as the satin shirt dripped on her clothing. Inu-yasha ran his hands through her hair and pushed her lips a little harder to his as he tipped his head to the side to make it deeper. His hands rushed to remove his wet, black satin shirt. His hands returned to her face as hers began to run over his shoulders and arms. He broke the kiss to breathe for a moment before gathering her lips again. Kagome let his hands wander over her body because she knew he was only try to get a sense of reality. Inu-yasha was trying to make sure she was still there, and that it was really she he was kissing and touching.  
  
Everything felt the same, like territory he had claimed before. It was all his own. He touched the one spot on her back that made her press her form against his, and then ran his hands up her back to feel her tremble. Only one spot could make her gasp, and he touched her lower stomach gently just below her skirts waste. She broke the kiss as gasped into his mouth. All powers he controlled, and spots he had discovered. Inu-yasha felt her fingers grip his shoulders, and then run over his abs. She checked her spots now, and he responded with the same urge. It wasn't until she reached his ears that he purred into their passionate kisses, making her lips tickle.  
  
Then, Inu-yasha grabbed her wrists and placed her hands on his shoulders. He broke the kiss and held her cheek to cheek for a moment as he caught his breath. Kagome tried to catch her own. "Oh gods, you did it!" she managed to say breathlessly.  
  
"No!" he moaned, and Kagome's eyes opened in shock. "I couldn't do it! It just felt so blank. All I could think about was you?" He pulled himself away from her saying, "Gods, I even said your name!"  
  
Kagome watched him as he leaned his head and arms against a bedpost. She ran to close the doors and reached for a towel to dry his hair and back as he tried to recollect his thoughts. He turned over to look at her again, and she ran her towel over his chest. Inu-yasha smoothed his hand over her face as she looked at him. "This is the only thing I know! It's the only thing that's real."  
  
Inu-yasha put his weight back on his feet for a moment and took the towel from Kagome as she gathered her dress and pulled it over her manikin. Inu- yasha dried his hair and pulled the towel to the side to dry rest of his mane. It was then that he saw Kagome smoothing out her dress.  
  
He walked over to it and touched the lace. "It's beautiful!"  
  
Kagome smiled, only to feel a tear roll down her cheek a moment later. She was crying again, and Inu-yasha caught her tears. He came to her again and held her close to him. Inu-yasha gathered her lips again in a soft kiss. "Stop crying! I hate it when you cry!" he said softly, "Please stop?"  
  
Kagome sniffled, "She'll take you away from me."  
  
Inu-yasha shook his head slowly, and rubbed his nose against hers. "Even if I had slept with my client, I would have lost you anyway."  
  
Kagome opened her eyes and looked into Inu-yasha's. She looked a little harder, and it was almost as though she could see the brown color. Inu- yasha closed them a moment later, and Kagome leaned in to kiss him again. "I don't care what she says. She can't take you from me, Kagome. There's nothing she can do that can take you away from me."  
  
~~~~  
  
Kagome looked at Inu-yasha she lay on top of his body, wrapped in her ivory sheets. His fingers mingled in her locks while brushed his silvery bangs away from his eyes. She bowed her head down to let her forehead rest against his and she closed her eyes. Inu-yasha looked at her and tried to take in all of her beauty and grace in one big helping. "If only I had been human from that night on, I could have been with you and never have to worry about this."  
  
Kagome opened her eyes. "What do you mean?"  
  
Inu-yasha sat up and ran his hands through his hair after he helped Kagome sit on his lap facing him. "I only told Kagome about my human form. She's never seen it, in fact I'm not even really she knows I can become human."  
  
Kagome's brow narrowed as she clutched her sheet over her chest. "But you told me she knew, she just didn't think of it as a challenge."  
  
"That's true, but I never said I could become human."  
  
Kagome looked at him. "So, you mean to tell me she doesn't know what you look like when you're human?"  
  
He shook his head. Kagome smiled a little and looked down between them. Inu-yasha grinned and cocked his head to the side. "You're staring again!"  
  
Kagome closed her eyes and smiled as he claimed her neck with his lips. "Is there anyway you can become human? We'd have to wait a month before the new moon came around again."  
  
Inu-yasha sighed, "I don't know of anything thing that has that power."  
  
Kagome nudged his neck with her nose for him to kiss her lips again, and he did gently. It was almost as though he were trying to tell her that he wished there was away to be human...even now he would have done anything to be human.  
  
Suddenly Kagome looked by her door, and found an envelope stuck beneath it. She pushed Inu-yasha way from her body for a moment and he looked at her. "What?"  
  
He glanced around to see what she was looking at. "What is it?"  
  
Kagome pulled herself out of bed and wrapped her sheet around her. She bent down and picked up the envelope and came into the moonlight that shined through her balcony door after the rain had stopped a long time ago. She opened the envelope slowly as she felt Inu-yasha tug at the sheet around her to wrap himself in the same ivory sheet. He put his arms around her and looked over her shoulder as she unfolded the letter.  
  
"It's from Italy, from someone named Anthony Zorba."  
  
Inu-yasha's mind snapped and he squeezed Kagome a little closer. Kagome touched his arm and read the letter over slowly. "There's a check for two- hundred fifty in currency here...Inu-yasha, he knows about my drawings. The ones that are my original works, my fashions! He wants me to go to Italy next weekend or sooner!"  
  
She turned around and looked at the letter as Inu-yasha leaned in to kiss her forehead and try to hide his smile a little longer. Kagome looked over the letter completely lost, but happy at the same time. "Who's Anthony Zorba? How does he know about my fashions?"  
  
Inu-yasha bowed his head. "You left three of your drawings in the booth Saturday night, and I mailed them first class the next morning to Anthony Zorba. He's one of the fashion executives in Rome, Italy...and a really good dance teacher."  
  
Kagome lifted her head and looked at him. "The Diamond Lover?"  
  
Inu-yasha grinned. "You remembered!"  
  
Kagome looked at the letter and then back at him. "You can come with me."  
  
Inu-yasha looked at her. "But there's not enough!"  
  
"Yes there is! He's given me enough for a round trip, but one-way tickets cost half the price. Inu-yasha, we could leave together. We can be together and never worry about Kikyo, Naraku, or any of them again. We could be happy! Just you and me!"  
  
Inu-yasha looked into her eyes and ran his claws through her hair. "But what could I do? I wouldn't be any help!"  
  
"Yes you could! You have a perfect imagination for hair, and maybe even makeup at some point. We could take this world by storm and seize the moment. We could do it together! We...we could be together."  
  
Inu-yasha smiled slightly and kissed her. "Start a new life? In Rome...with you?"  
  
Kagome smiled and kissed him back. "Yes!"  
  
"Make clothing and new hair styles?" he asked again with a kiss.  
  
"Yes!" she whispered as she kissed him again.  
  
"Travel the world?" He kissed her.  
  
"Yes!" she sealed with her lips again.  
  
"Get married?"  
  
Kagome opened her eyes, and whispered passionately, "Yes!"  
  
Inu-yasha met her eyes and rubbed his nose against hers. "Make babies?"  
  
Kagome felt her heart begin to flutter and she closed her eyes as she felt her body respond to all of his hot kisses. "Yes!"  
  
"Ten?"  
  
Kagome giggled, "Okay, now you're pushing it!"  
  
Inu-yasha snorted and smiled. "Eight?"  
  
Kagome grinned. "Two!"  
  
"Six!"  
  
"Three!"  
  
"Five!"  
  
"Four! Two boys and two girls!"  
  
"Deal!" Inu-yasha said with a wide grin. "What if we get three boys or three girls? What if they're all girls?"  
  
Kagome kissed him and smiled. "What if they're all boys?"  
  
Inu-yasha's eyes widened, "That's too much testosterone!"  
  
Kagome laughed, "Oh, and four girls wouldn't be a hormone fest, either?"  
  
Inu-yasha rolled looked up for a moment in thought. "I'd only look for one scent though!"  
  
Kagome felt his kiss press against hers. Kagome moaned a little. Inu- yasha whispered into her mouth, "All this talk about babies is making me want to start right now."  
  
Kagome smiled and pushed him away a little. "Go pack your things, and we can leave for Rome in the morning. When we get there we can start making babies...deal?"  
  
Inu-yasha kissed her passionately and smiled as he looked into her eyes. "Deal!"  
  
~~~~  
  
Just outside the hotel, Kikyo looked up from the sidewalk at the hotel glaring at the top floor as Naraku came up in his car. "He's failed! We've won the bet!"  
  
Kikyo grinned as she looked up at Kagome's hotel room. "Make the announcement to the Diamond Dogs and the playwrights, and get me your best pistol for the opening night of the musical."  
  
Naraku arched an eyebrow. "Why do I need a pistol?"  
  
Unnoticed by both of them, was a dark figure in the shadows carried a basket of food. Kaede saw them talking and hid around the corner.  
  
Kikyo closed her eyes and bowed. "If this girl has the guts to stand up to me, then she will have the guts to sneak into in the musical. If she does, I will not be able to rebuild Inu-yasha as he once was. If you see the girl...kill her!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay, I know this wasn't the show must go on chapter, but the next one is going to have the "Show Must Go On!" and that heart wrenching scene we all hate.  
  
Well, now don't jump to conclusions here, I'm telling you, the story will not end as you think it will until you finally get there.  
  
See you soon! 


	18. The Show Must Go On

Disclaimer; The original characters in the based story are not mine and the characters that are originally in the series are not mine. Characters of my own creation are added to the story; otherwise the characters belong to the original author.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Well de Rouge (An Inu-yasha X Moulin Rouge Tale)  
  
Oh boy! Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! This is it! This is the chapter that will make you all want to hold your breath...until the next one. You all will hate me after this and I hope I get a lot of reviews begging for the next chapter, if the suspense doesn't get to me either. You'd be surprised; I'm like the reader every time I write my stories and when I find a cliffhanger I can't help it, and I want to write a conclusion ASAP.  
  
Okay, now without further or due...The Show Must Go On! (Get ready to call Kikyo a stinking bitch for three hundred years, 'cause after this, you'll really be wishing she'd just die and stop screwing things up.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 18; The Show Must Go On  
  
It was dim in the halls of the Well de Rouge. Music poured from the stage as Miroku and the cast made their attempts to change the ending of the play in time. Inu-yasha had not returned, and Kikyo knew where he was. She knew he would return at some point, but she would not greet him. Inu-yasha knew a thing or two about his responsibilities, and the deal they had made was binding. He would not get out of it.  
  
However, this one chance to leave with Kagome to flee to Italy was his chance at freedom. Free to be who he wanted to be, free to live a life he would be happy with, and free to be with Kagome for the rest of his life. This one chance to escape with her and start a new life, one that would be happy and lived out with her at his side. He'd find away to be a full human. To become the man she saw inside of him, the man he wanted to be. No more masks! Just the man he was always forced to hide.  
  
Inu-yasha snuck through the back door and crept down the east hall in the dim light hoping no one would spy him. He stayed on his guard, hoping that of all people to run into he would not find Kikyo waiting in the dark.  
  
The sight of his door never looked better and he entered his room in the dark. He quickly lit a candle as music played through the halls. He thought the less light used would prevent him from anyone noticing he was there for a moment. He began to rummage through his closet to find a large carpet back and threw it open on his bed. He began to throw things out of his closet, looking for anything that would be worth carting around. His dance out fits for shows, he would leave, and he threw them across the room. He began to toss in a pair of pants, when the lights suddenly came on in the room.  
  
Inu-yasha held his breath and jumped as he spun around the room. When he looked to his chair he saw smoke crawling up into the air. Then a face appeared around the edge of the chair. "Where do you think you're going?"  
  
Inu-yasha glared at him and continued to pack his things. "I'm leaving! I'm leaving all of this! I'm leaving you, Kikyo, Kouga, all of you! I'm leaving this stinking country."  
  
Sesshoumaru bit his pipe. "Without a passport?"  
  
"I have money! I'll by one in town!"  
  
"At this hour?"  
  
Inu-yasha stopped his packing and looked at him. It was then that Kaede appeared from his balcony window with her hands folded, and a look of worry on her face. Inu-yasha saw the look on her face, and narrowed his brow after showing a look of concern for the old hag. "What's going on? What's this all about?"  
  
Sesshoumaru pushed himself out of the chair and looked at his brother. "Naraku had ordered for guards to be put around the Well de Rouge come tomorrow afternoon. If Kagome comes into the building at any point...they will kill her on the spot."  
  
Inu-yasha's eyes widened in fear and he couldn't breathe. Was this true? "No! No, I don't believe you!"  
  
Kaede spoke, "Inu-yasha! I swear it upon my grave. I was there when I heard Kikyo's words. Ye has ordered Naraku's guard to kill ye Kagome, if she come here."  
  
Inu-yasha narrowed his brow in anger and fear and turned his back to his brother and began to pack. "Then...I'll leave with her...now!"  
  
Sesshoumaru placed a hand on Inu-yasha's shoulder. The gigolo froze and closed his eyes as his chest began to break. He heard his brother's voice, "You know that you cannot save her this way. Kikyo will discover that you have not returned tonight, and this plan will fail. The duke has ordered no trains to head out bound tomorrow. You cannot escape, and to leave tonight without a passport will get you nowhere."  
  
Inu-yasha squeezed his eyes shut. "At least I'll be with her!"  
  
Sesshoumaru tried to be reasonable and held back his anger. "Inu-yasha?"  
  
There was no answer, and Inu-yasha began to pull his shirts from his drawers. Then, Sesshoumaru spoke softly, "Brother?"  
  
He froze and felt his body begin to break. "No, please don't! I can't live without her."  
  
Sesshoumaru walked over to him and placed both of his hands on his shoulders. "Would you be able to live with yourself, if she were killed?"  
  
Inu-yasha felt his heart skip a beat out of sheer fear, and he dropped his clothing on the floor. He stood up and opened his eyes. "How can I stop this?"  
  
Sesshoumaru slinked away and looked at the bag half filled with crumpled clothes. "You cannot stop this. Kikyo's newfound power has gone to her head. She cannot see the weakness if the duke were to reject her."  
  
Inu-yasha turned to him. "What are you talking about?"  
  
The dog demon bit his pipe. "She is willing to had herself over freely to him. If so, we will loose the Well de Rouge. If Kikyo cannot hold her thumb down on the duke for long, we will all be on the streets. The only way to keep this from happening, is if she has you."  
  
Inu-yasha snorted, "I know that! It's her problem now!"  
  
"But you made the deal, and that deal is binding. You agreed to never see Kagome again."  
  
"Yeah, well, I lied!"  
  
Sesshoumaru lowered his eyes and turned to his brother. "You know she will do everything in her power to keep you from leaving. She will have Kagome killed, if that's what it takes to keep you here."  
  
Inu-yasha took a hard swallow and turned his head to the side. "What do I do?"  
  
Sesshoumaru took one step closer to him and held his pipe down at his side. "There is only one thing to do!"  
  
Inu-yasha raised his head and looked at him. His brother narrowed his eyes. "You must convince her that you do not love her. That it was all a fantasy! Just a dream! Thus, she will not return and not be harmed."  
  
Inu-yasha began to pant as his eyes filled with tears. He shook his head slowly at first. "No!" he mumbled.  
  
"You must! It is the only way to save her!"  
  
Inu-yasha closed his eyes and clenched his teeth together as he pleaded, "No!"  
  
"Inu-yasha, listen to me! You have this one chance to save her, to safe yourself. Why not take the chance now before it's too late?"  
  
Inu-yasha couldn't hold himself back and cried through his fangs, "Because I love her!"  
  
Sesshoumaru looked at him and bowed his head as he wagged his head. "Love cannot safe her, Inu-yasha! Only you!" He looked at his brother in the eye. "You have acted before! Now is the time to pretend again. Pretend you don't love her, and convince her that it is true. Telling her would only make her risk trying to stand up to Kikyo. It would also unveil that we had prior knowledge of their plan. She will be alive, Inu-yasha! Isn't that what you want?"  
  
The gigolo felt tears form in his eyes and run down the sides of his face. "Yes!" he mumbled as he bit his lower lip to keep from sobbing.  
  
Sesshoumaru nodded, "Then, you know what you must do. Once you have saved Kagome, you will play your part in the play...and prove yourself to Kikyo tomorrow night, in her bed."  
  
Inu-yasha turned away and looked at himself in the mirror and stood up tall as he tried to suppress his heart from breaking, but it was no use. He had to hide it all inside now, and keep it from view.  
  
Sesshoumaru lowered his head. "You have until sunrise to make your final decision."  
  
With that Sesshoumaru left with Kaede not far behind him. Inu-yasha looked into his mirror and watched as his tears streamed down his face.  
  
He then took two gasping breaths, and held it in as he rubbed the tears away with his sleeves violently and closed his eyes as he lowered his head. He sniffled for a moment, and the opened his eyes as his lifted his head and looked into the mirror, and forced a smirk. The mask had returned.  
  
~~~~  
  
Sesshoumaru walked out to the back stage where everyone had gathered. Kikyo was nowhere is sight, and it was supposed that she was with Naraku. All of the Diamond Dogs sat on the stage and watched as their master walked down the center of the stage. His head was bowed and his jacket was pulled back so he could put his hands in his pockets. He walked down to the end of the catwalk and looked up at the two round windows at the back of the hall. The first rays of sunlight began to appear through the window.  
  
He looked back at his cast, as all of them bowed their heads in sorrow. He turned away and looked out at the invisible audience in the seats.  
  
^Another hero, another mindless crime  
  
Behind the curtain in the pantomime  
  
On and on...does anybody know what we are living for? ^  
  
Sesshoumaru turned around as he looked at the faces that were worn with sadness and fear.  
  
^Whatever happened, we leave it all to chance  
  
Another heartache, another failed romance ^  
  
He felt himself choke, as he swallowed hard.  
  
^On and on...does anybody now what we are living for? ^  
  
He bowed his head to sigh, and for the first time found himself feeling sorry for his brother. Such pain over such a little thing, but he knew that this was all that could be done. He narrowed his head and lifted his glance to his Diamond Dogs as they looked to him for guidance, like a lost pack.  
  
^The show must go on...  
  
The show must go on^  
  
He turned to the windows and began to make his way to his dancers. The sunlight broke through and lit up the hall.  
  
^Outside the dawn is breaking  
  
On the stage that holds our final destiny^  
  
He approached his pack, and they began to get to their feet and stand tall for him.  
  
(^ The show must go on...  
  
The show must go on^) (note; this just means that his voice can be heard over the Diamond Dogs)  
  
Suddenly, the crowd parted and Inu-yasha stood in the middle of the top step. He was dressed his silk charcoal shirt and black trench coat, and his eyes were painted in his classic gigolo black eye-makeup to make them stand out.  
  
His head was bowed for a moment as he tried to suppress his feelings.  
  
*Inside my heart is breaking  
  
My makeup maybe flaking*  
  
He slowly opened his eyes and held his head up high with his classic arrogant smile.  
  
*But my smile still stays on *  
  
Sesshoumaru nodded as Inu-yasha marched down the center of the stage toward him.  
  
(^ The show must go on...  
  
The show must go on^)  
  
Inu-yasha stood directly beside his brother facing the back of the hall, while his brother faced the Diamond Dogs.  
  
*I'll top the bill  
  
I'll earn the kill  
  
I have to find the will to carry-- *  
  
Sesshoumaru caught him starting to break, and rebuilt him. ^On with the... ^  
  
Inu-yasha stabilized. *On with the... *  
  
(*^ On with the show! *^)  
  
Inu-yasha parted from his brother's side and began his march down the catwalk toward the doors of the Well de Rouge.  
  
The Diamond Dogs felt even their hearts breaking for him, but all tried to hide it, for you see...they too, cared for Kagome now. She was part of their family...their pack.  
  
Now she would only be a memory.  
  
(The Show Must Go On!)  
  
(Okay, you know what happens here. Heavy music pounding as the camera goes from the Well de Rouge and out to Kagome's balcony window.)  
  
~~~~  
  
Kagome sat on the crates on her balcony and waited. She was looking at her middle, staring at it for a long period of time of into space. She seemed off in a daze, wondering if he had been caught, or if he wasn't coming.  
  
No, he had to come! Kagome needed him to come.  
  
Suddenly, the door opened, and Inu-yasha came into the room empty handed. Kagome gasped as she turned to him, and almost didn't recognize him since he was wearing his stage makeup. His face was stern, and emotionless. He looked as though he were dead, and certainly not himself.  
  
Kagome narrowed her brow as she pushed herself to her feet. "Inu-yasha? What took you? Where are your things?" she asked sweetly.  
  
Inu-yasha's face didn't change. "I've made my decision...I'm staying here."  
  
Kagome's brow narrowed, and she walked over to him. "What? But I thought you wanted to leave?"  
  
Inu-yasha faked a laugh. "Fool, why would I leave my live here to live with a poor, pathetic thing like you."  
  
His heart cracked with each word. 'Please, Kagome! Just take the bate and save yourself. Don't make this any harder than it has to be.'  
  
Kagome's eyes widened in surprise as she caught each word. "But...but I thought...what's wrong with you? You're acting so strangely all of the sudden."  
  
Inu-yasha glared at her. "Don't you get it? I don't love you! I thought I did, but I don't." he paused a moment to suppress the painful bubble growing in his chest. "I don't believe in love!"  
  
Kagome felt her heart pounding in pain, and she shook her head. "No! You...you don't mean this. You're lying!"  
  
Inu-yasha glared at her. "Everything I want is here in Paris. This is my home, Kagome. My place is here, and yours is in Italy. No, foolish little girl's game is going to take me from my home."  
  
Kagome shook her head and made an attempt to approach him and he ignored her by walked around her. 'No, Kagome! If you touch me I'll only be weaker. You have to accept this. Please, just go on living. I'll be able to live as long as I know you're alive.'  
  
Kagome turned around as he faced her again. She felt hot tears burn her eyes, and stream down her cheek. Everything inside screamed at Inu-yasha to run into her arms and kiss each tear away. He never wanted to hurt her, to cause her pain, or harm.  
  
"Kikyo and I are a team. I need her more than I need you. She relies on me to keep the upper hand. I have power, Kagome. I won't give that power up for a stupid dream."  
  
Kagome felt her lips begin to tremble. "You..." she couldn't hold it back and began to cry. "You made love with me."  
  
Inu-yasha felt his heart crack as he headed for the door. "We had sex! That's all it was, and ever will be. There is no such thing as making love. I felt nothing when we did. Nothing!"  
  
He opened the door and looked at her and her body began quivering. "You mean nothing to me...just like the rest of them. You were nothing but a freebie...a whore."  
  
Kagome clutched her stomach as her heart kept screaming it wasn't true...was it?  
  
"You don't mean that?" she sobbed.  
  
Inu-yasha glared at her. "Do I? Then, wait here all day! All night too if you think I'll come for you. Just wait and you'll find it's all true. You're nothing to me, Kagome. You always will be!"  
  
With that he slammed the door and rushed down the hallway. Kagome fell to her knees as she stared horrified at her door. She listened as his footsteps faded away, and Kagome curled into a ball on the floor. She bawled and sobbed as her heart broke into a million pieces.  
  
Inu-yasha made it halfway down the stairs before leaning up against a wall to catch his breath. His body felt so weak. Everything screamed, 'Idiot! Don't do this! You know every part of your being would die to hold her right now. You know you want to kiss each one of those tears away, and make love to her until you know she's alive...that you're alive! It's so easy! It's too easy!'  
  
His body began to fail and he slumped down on the steps holding his stomach and clutching his chest. He wanted to hold her close to him. He needs her body to stop this pain. Inu-yasha wanted to run back to her room, pluck her up off the floor and pin her on her bed and bury himself inside of her. He wanted to hear her whisper his name in his ear. He wanted to know that nothing could come between them as long as his body was with hers, as long as their bodies were one. Completely, one!  
  
Kagome, however, pushed herself up and turned to the wall that had the drawings of Inu-yasha pinned to them. She got to her feet and began ripping each of them off the wall, including the one of his human body. Kagome looked at each of the pictures as she walked out to her balcony and looked at the picture she saw as his soul. She then let the wind blow each of the pictures away from her hand as she backed off to lean the side of her face and body against the jamb of the door.  
  
Inu-yasha walked out of the hotel, and just as he made his way down the street. The sound of fluttering paper came to his ears, and he looked up. Slowly, piece of paper flew away, but one landed at his feet. Hesitantly, he picked it up from the ground. The picture she drew of his soul. His eyes swelled as he ran to the entrance of the Well de Rouge, into his quarters, and locked the door. Inu-yasha looked at the drawing over and over again.  
  
(Kagome = *)  
  
*I was a fool to believe... *  
  
Inu-yasha sat in his bed and ran his fingers over the drawing.  
  
*A fool to believe... *  
  
He clutched the drawing to his chest and fell into his bed as he began to sob.  
  
Kagome felt tears roll down her cheeks as she closed her eyes.  
  
*It all ends today... *  
  
She clutched her heart with one hand, and her stomach with the other.  
  
*Yes, it all ends today *  
  
Kagome looked over at the check Sesshoumaru had given her yesterday, and the check she had received from Anthony Zorba. Kagome swallowed hard as she made up her mind.  
  
*Today's the day when dreaming ends! *  
  
She would go back to the Well de Rouge...one...last...time!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
See you soon! 


	19. Going Out With a Bang

Disclaimer; The original characters in the based story are not mine and the characters that are originally in the series are not mine. Characters of my own creation are added to the story; otherwise the characters belong to the original author.  
  
Well de Rouge (An Inu-yasha X Moulin Rouge Tale)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AHHH! I don't want to write this chapter...well I do, but not the beginning! (Moans and whines) I'm going to make an attempt to make this as painless as possible. I'm putting in a part where Kikyo does somewhat get her ass kicked just like the duke does when Zidler punches him...at least I think that happens. I don't know it's been so long since I watched the movie.  
  
Anyway, this is yet another two song chapter including "Hindi Sad Diamonds" starring Shippo, Sango (she'll be acting like a dancer in the beginning), the Diamond Dogs, and of course everyone's favorite, Kikyo (go ahead, get ugly, I'll wait...[sound of booing, hissing, and jeering from the readers]... All done? (Random person cries out "Yeah Kikyo!" and readers tackle him or her.)  
  
...Err, okay! I can tell you are ready for some revenge socking on Kikyo. That's probably why you'll like the other number that comes with this story.  
  
Okay, really long chapter so sit tight.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 19; And Out with a Bang  
  
The audience hushed as the lights dimmed in the hall of the Well de Rouge. It was time for opening night, and Sango was going to be dressed in an old Cinderella's rags costume that she had used in one of Miroku's previous musicals, but at the moment she was dressed in a silver two-piece gown that had a large slit up on leg and showed her navel. Miroku poked his eye through the curtain as the stage lights turned a purple hue. Sango tapped him on the shoulder. "Do you see her?"  
  
"No! Kagome is nowhere in sight. That's odd, I left her a ticket under her door." Miroku closed the curtain and stroked his fake bread for a moment. "Do you suppose she's sick?"  
  
Sango thought hard for a moment and her face showed. "Come to think on it, she was crying a lot when we left, and she was in her bathroom vomiting. Maybe she is sick!"  
  
Miroku had a worried look on his face and looked through the curtain once more. "Humph! Well, at least someone we all know and love made it."  
  
He watched as Duke Naraku came with his bodyguard at his side, a large burly man with no hair. Sango peeked just below him. "Naraku! Who invited that son of gun?"  
  
Miroku smirked. "Give you one good guess!"  
  
Both closed the curtain and sighed, "Kikyo!"  
  
Just then, Shippo bounced up to them in a silvery star shaped costume. "Is Kagome here?"  
  
Sango shook her head sadly, and the fox pouted as he bowed his head. "Maybe Inu-yasha knows!"  
  
Miroku quickly stopped him by grabbing his tail. "There's no time, we need to start the show. Everyone too your places! Sesshoumaru, you're out first."  
  
~~~~  
  
Kagome rapped the satin black shirt Inu-yasha had left at her place the night before. It began to rain again that night, and a large thunderstorm was rolling in. Kagome had put her hair up the way Inu-yasha had styled it and covered her shoulders and neck as she ran out down the street, and the pink Shikon Diamond bouncing off and around her chest. She shielded her body with the satin shirt, but could not save the bottom of her beautiful white dress from the rain. She felt crazy about the fact she was doing this, but it had to be done. If he truly didn't love her, then he meant nothing to her either, and there was only one way to prove this.  
  
She snuck around the back, which was luckily not guarded. Kagome knew they were there to keep the duke safe, but she didn't know they were also on the lookout for her. Kagome slipped through the door and sneaked her way down the hall, and the next thing she knew, she didn't know where she was. Kagome felt scared for a moment, and then she heard an all to familiar voice holler in the distance.  
  
~~~~  
  
"Spectacular, Spectacular!" Sesshoumaru yelled in a booming voice. On cue the band started in a blast as the curtains shot open. Shippo bounced around like an acrobat jumping from his hands to his feet and back again.  
  
(Okay, this will be a little confusing, but I don't know any other why to explain it. The choreography will be explained first and what's going on before I state the lyrics. So, in other words, try to picture what's going on as you read the lyrics. In other words just stick with me folks, because this will be the most difficult thing to do in the entire story. It might help if you have the music on hand.)  
  
Reference key, (Shippo = +, Sango = /, Back round voices; Male = $, Female = %, and Kikyo = *)  
  
Large feathery fans moved to show faces as Shippo chanted and danced.  
  
+ I only speak the truth  
  
I only speak the truth  
  
I only speak the truth  
  
I only speak the truth +  
  
Sango started to make her way down as the female Diamond Dogs began to use their fans to cover the male dancers gathering around the center of the stage.  
  
Shippo's chants got louder as he neared the catwalk.  
  
+ I only speak the truth  
  
I only speak the truth  
  
I only speak the truth  
  
I only speak the truth +  
  
The spotlight landed on Sango as she began twisting her arms and rotating her hips as she sang her chat. Behind her, the girls fluttered their fans in a large feathery ball that looked like water  
  
/Chamma chamma re chamma chamma  
  
Chamma chamma baaje re meri paejaniyaan  
  
Re chamma chamma baaje re meri paejaniyaan  
  
Tere paas aaun teri, saanson mein samaun/  
  
The male Diamond Dogs appeared is an array of color and styles as they chanted their back up for Sango.  
  
$Eh, chamma chamma$  
  
/Chamma chamma re chamma chamma  
  
Chamma chamma baaje re meri paejaniyaan re  
  
Chamma chamma baaje re meri paejaniyaan/  
  
$/Chamma chamma/$  
  
/Baaje re meri paejaniyaan...($ chamma chamma$)  
  
$/Re meri paejaniyaan /$  
  
Sango made her exit, and the female dancers retreated. The male dancers then parted, revealing Inu-yasha in the red jacket. His mane was shimmering with stars, and his eyes were covered in thick red eye makeup and black eye liner. His eyes were focused and intense with the help of his golden eyes as he turned to the crowd and began to dance with his fellow male dancers. His chest shined in the spotlight as he danced falling forward with a line of gigolos on their hands. All had their chest bared and oiled to make them all more appealing to the ladies' eyes. Many woman gasped and a few swooned into their husbands arms as Inu-yasha's intense stare make their hearts beat a little faster with ever move his body made, twisting and bending as his eyes remained extreme. (Can you picture him like this? I mean bottom line her ladies, he would even make my heart beat a little faster if he looked that good on stage ... GrrrrRRRRRRrrrrrr don't you just want to pounce him? ... *Cough excuse my hormones)  
  
$Eh, chamma chamma$  
  
$Eh, chamma chamma  
  
Chamma chamma baaje re meri chamma$  
  
%Oh, yeah yeah oh uo uo... %  
  
$Baaje re meri paejaniyaan  
  
Baaje re meri paejaniyaan$  
  
Inu-yasha grinned as he danced which helped to keep all eyes on him as Sango made her way to the trap door and the female dancers gathered their feathers and the males filed into two rows behind Inu-yasha.  
  
/Tere paas aaun teri   
  
Saanson mein samaun teri  
  
Tere paas aaun teri  
  
Saanson mein samaun raja! /  
  
Then, the music stopped and Sango dropped below stage in a puff of paper confetti. A high note resounded through the hall and Inu-yasha turned around slowly to the direction of the high note, knowing all to well whom its owner was. The feathered fans parted as revealed Kikyo in a shimmering silver and elaborate gown. Her arms and neck were frosted in diamonds along with a diamond tiara. Her most prized jewel made her shimmer. She would almost beautiful in his eyes, if his heart wasn't aching for Kagome's sweet honey kisses and soft touch.  
  
Kikyo was lowered to Inu-yasha's level as the gigolo rose to his feet. Kikyo scaled the note down as the male dancers sang her backup. She turned Inu-yasha to the side as her hand wrapped around the back of his neck as though to keep him from escaping as her fingers trailed down his exposed and oiled chest. The touches were cold, and all that went through his mind was how he wished they were Kagome's fingers and not hers.  
  
(Okay, say it! "Get your stinking, filthy, hands off him you bitch!" There I feel a lot better now. No wait, rotten tomato. Now I'm better!)  
  
Her eyes were shimmering in a silvery and diamond glow, but with in was darkness. They were a hole that Inu-yasha did not want to fall into. He wanted the eyes to be Kagome's and the lips that were so dangerously close to his to be hers, too. He was acting, but his heart was screaming, 'Fire, pull away! Where's Kagome? Wheres her soft cool yet warm kiss that makes you want to hold her until you can't let go? This is wrong! You're suffering for this power Kikyo has over you. Now, look at you? You're about to discover the wrong body. The Wrong Diamond! Kagome is the Diamond of Diamonds!'  
  
*Kiss... hand...  
  
Diamonds... Best friend...  
  
Kiss... grand...  
  
Diamonds... Best friend... *  
  
The next part of the choreography was like a control act. Inu-yasha had become her puppet, as her hands left him and he threw himself to the stage floor.  
  
*Men... cold... *  
  
Kikyo then curled her fingers and he flipped over to rise to his feet again. 'You see? She's using this to control you. Why won't you run? You love Kagome! You want Kagome! You need...Kagome!'  
  
*Girls... old...  
  
And we all lose our charms in the end *  
  
Kikyo's lips reached his again and her hand began to drift over his body as she sang an ascending scale of notes. His face showed little emotion, his mask hid all the things that were going on in his mind. He was trying to look as though she had him under a trance.  
  
High in the balcony, Kagome popped out of a door close to the stage. She watched as Kikyo touched Inu-yasha's body as she circled him like a lioness ready to make the first kill. Even though it killed her to watch her touch him, it killed her even more to see that he didn't react. His mask was on, but she couldn't tell how weak it was from her high stature. All of the gigolos and dancing girls were performing their choreography behind them in a sea of lilac light. All of them shimmered in the light like the night sky. Kikyo's black hair shimmered with her array of diamonds. She did indeed look like a princess, and one obsessed about power. Kagome clutched the Shikon Diamond that dangled from her chest as raindrops ran down her face and body. Every droplet glistened in the light, and perhaps brighter than the diamond, drenched, Kikyo.  
  
(*Diamonds are a...  
  
Diamonds are a...  
  
Diamonds are a...  
  
Diamonds are a...  
  
Diamonds are a...  
  
Diamonds are a...  
  
(Slower) Diamonds are a...)  
  
*Diamonds are a  
  
girl's... best... friend*  
  
Inu-yasha watched as Kikyo's last few notes she sang into his mouth that was gasping for air. His chest was killing him. He wanted Kagome!  
  
"You are mine!" Kikyo hissed with an evil grin that was all too real.  
  
Naraku grinned as he folded his hands over his mouth. "You are mine!" he whispered referring to Kikyo...not Inu-yasha.  
  
The curtain closed momentarily, and behind it Kikyo watched as Inu-yasha's look of entrancement, turned into a look of pain and longing. She smiled and pulled away, thinking that this was for her. Inu-yasha placed his hand over his heart to keep it from bursting as she walked away.  
  
Kagome closed her eyes as she felt a tear form in her eye and roll down her cheek. She clutched the diamond by her heart and then sneaked out the door she had come through. Yet the light caught her white dress, and the corner of Naraku's eye. He turned to spy her slip away, and gave his bodyguard a nudge and gestured with his nose for him to check it out. "Remember, if you see the girl, kill her. No questions!"  
  
~~~~  
  
Many minutes later Sango had appeared on stage as Shippo danced merrily on stage with her as she sang. Inu-yasha lay on a mat of yellow feathers acting as though he were asleep. His mind, however, drifted to Kagome as he lay 'sleeping'.  
  
His nose though, was still aware of everything around him. He could smell the scent of the red jacket. The rose scent tickled his nose and enriched her scent in it even more. In fact her scent seemed to get stronger...and thicker. Inu-yasha wanted to open his eyes and look around franticly for her. 'No, stupid! She's in her room back at the hotel. Kagome's safe. Hurt and crying...miserable...like you...but safe.'  
  
~~~~  
  
After Shippo had preformed his last line for the night, he climbed up to where the lights were to watch the sad ending from a far. He could see everything from up there. Shippo could see Inu-yasha arguing with Miroku who was playing one of his friends. He could also see Sesshoumaru waiting in the curtain for his cue.  
  
Suddenly a strange bald man approached him and tapped him on the shoulder. "We have a security problem, I'm afraid. There is someone rummaging around back stage. I'd advise you look around your cast to make sure there isn't anyone here that doesn't belong."  
  
Shippo heard all of this with his keen hearing, and wondered who might be running around back stage? He sat down and took a deep breath before letting out a small sigh. Suddenly something tickled his nose and he perked up. That scent was familiar! "Kagome?"  
  
The little pup looked around franticly. "But Kagome's not supposed to be here! Kikyo will get really mad if she finds her," he whispered to himself. He walked a long the planks and sniffed the air until he saw the man again. "Wait, that guy was with Naraku earlier."  
  
It was then that he saw the man pull to the side, and then reach into his pocket to pull out a pistol. The little fox gasped in fear and his eyes felt like they would pop out of his head. "He's...he's got a....he's gonna...oh no!"  
  
Suddenly, the little fox heard something snap, and before he knew it, his foot was caught in some rope and he was dangling right over the stage. He looked up to see his little paw caught in a large knot. Shippo quickly reached for the knot trying to pull his weight up. "I have to tell Miroku and Sango. They'll know what to do. Then, they can tell Inu-yasha."  
  
~~~~  
  
Kikyo was in her dressing room putting on the red dress that Kagome had once slaved over to make for Sango. She grabbed the long red cape that would act like a long train behind her, and went to open the door when Naraku's bodyguard barged in. "Mademoiselle, the girl is here!"  
  
Kikyo's eyes widened and she looked to her right before turning back to him. "Find her you fool! Find her before Inu-yasha does. I want that girl dead!"  
  
The guard nodded vigorously and made his way back down the corridor. Kikyo slammed her door shut, and not a moment sooner after she had, Kagome sneaked out of a door just down the hall from her room. She quickly scanned the area, and then sneaked quickly into Inu-yasha's quarters and closed the door behind her.  
  
She pressed her back to the door and placed her hand on her head. 'He's going to be so mad when he sees me here, but I have to do this. I can't go on thinking it was real. It was all a dream...a broken horrible dream.'  
  
~~~~  
  
Inu-yasha quickly dodged off the stage and tried to catch his breath. "This is too much! I need her so badly right now."  
  
Just then Sango came up to him. "Inu-yasha, are you alright?"  
  
The gigolo looked at her and shook his head. "It's nothing, really!"  
  
Sango suddenly shook her head. "You've been like this all day. Is there something on your mind?"  
  
Inu-yasha leaned up against the wall on his side. "Sango, I can't tell you! But I after this musical, promise me that you'll make sure Kagome goes to Italy for that fashion meeting."  
  
She was taken back in surprise. "Inu-yasha, what are you--"  
  
"Just promise me! No matter what happens, make sure she gets on that train for Italy and doesn't look back."  
  
His eyes were full of pain, but he had to make sire she would be safe from harm...from the truth. Sango nodded slowly as though he had gone insane. Inu-yasha sighed and pushed himself away as he made his way for his room. He needed to touch up his makeup and clean the sweat from his brow. He wanted to wipe the oil off of his chest so he could breath and not have all the heat sticking to his body. Inu-yasha kept on having hot and cold flashes and he needed Kagome's kiss to stop the burning on his lips.  
  
Kikyo suddenly came to his side and took hold of his chin as she passed him. "You will regret this night if she's here."  
  
Inu-yasha shot her a cold glare. "What are you going to do? Kill me, too!"  
  
He leaned in closer and the reaction began to intimidate her. "I just want you to know, that when you share your bed with me tonight, I'll be thinking of her. I'll be thinking of making love with her...If you think that I'm broken, think again. You will never be able to break me, Kikyo. You have no power over what I feel for her."  
  
Kikyo glared at him trying to hide her fear, even though she knew she couldn't. "Girls dream of the perfect man, Inu-yasha. But women like me know what you want."  
  
Inu-yasha smirked, "You call yourself a woman? You use men to get what you want and you call yourself a woman?" he shook his head. "Let me tell you what I think. I think a girl is dependent on the world to work for her. You play your game, and you give them what they want so you can get what you want. While, woman risk their lives to find what is right, and they hold their own independence to find what is right for them. Your duke, Kikyo, drugged Kagome, but the drug was meant for you. Kagome struggled to keep him from doing her any harm. Kagome knows what she wants in her life, and she wants to be happy. And you know what?" he paused as he felt scores of heat rise from his body. "I truly believe Kagome will be the woman you could only wish to be, for she's more of a woman than you'll ever be."  
  
(Okay, cheer for Inu-yasha! Kick her mental ass and show her whose boss! Oh, incase you didn't understand that Kikyo, here's the three word summary. GO F*** YOURSELF!!! Okay, back to the story!)  
  
Inu-yasha stared at her and made her tremble in fear as his golden eyes glittered as he slipped away down the hall. Kikyo glared at him as she turned her head to head for the stage.  
  
Inu-yasha tried to hold back his anger, but he couldn't. He hated her! How could she do something so cruel? It was like being pulled into hell! (Sorry, couldn't resist writing that.)  
  
He burst through his door and headed straight for his mirror to touch up his eyes and re-oil his chest in some places where it had rubbed away. He turned to his mirror as he picked up a pencil to draw his eyes out again. Inu-yasha managed to color under his eye, when his nose caught a scent. 'No, it's just the jacket!'  
  
Yes, as they had before, his eyes confirmed that his nose wasn't lying. In the reflection of his mirror he caught sight of a figure staring back at him in the shadows on his balcony. He spun around and jumped to his feet. "No!"  
  
Kagome stepped out as a flash of lightning made the room glow. He looked at her with eyes full of pain and worry. Everything in his body told him to run into her arms and kiss her. To scoop her up into his arms and put her in his bed and hammer a zillion nails in the door. To feel her body's warmth and cool sweat, and let her kiss put out the fire on his lips.  
  
Yet the little voice in his head screamed. 'Jerk, you're gonna get yourself killed? You stupid girl, I told you those things because I didn't want to loose you. I need you to live Kagome.'  
  
Kagome approach him slowly trying to suppress the urge to throw her arms around him and beg him to tell her it was all a lie. "There's something I need to tell you!" she said coldly.  
  
Inu-yasha's body snapped back into reality. "Kagome, what are you doing here? You shouldn't be here! Get out of here, now!"  
  
His voice was harsh at first, but Kagome kept coming toward him with the cold look in her eyes. 'Please, don't do this to me? Please, Kagome, don't put on that mask?'  
  
Kagome lifted her chin. "I realize that your services have gone unpaid. I wouldn't be a suitable client if I didn't pay you for what you've given to me."  
  
Inu-yasha's mask began to crack and his heart was pulling at it. "Kagome, no! Please! Just go!"  
  
He rushed for the door, but Kagome remained hot on his heels. "I only want to pay you!"  
  
He rushed down the hall trying to get to the stage. The end of the musical was near and he had to meet Kikyo and Sesshoumaru on stage before he missed his cue, but Kagome nagged. "Please, let me pay you!"  
  
He turned to her still trying to get away from her. "No! Kagome, just go!" his voice broke. He couldn't hide his pain much longer.  
  
Kagome gripped the back of the jacket, and she too began to show her pain. "I won't go until you've been paid."  
  
Inu-yasha's thoughts flooded his mind. Memories of waking up to only money on a nightstand and a cold bed. Memories of having a roll of francs slipped into his coat pocket. Memories...of waking up to find her body beneath him. Memories of being inside of her and not having to face the fact that if she moaned he might get a bonus. Memories of finding her wrapped in her bed sheets like a strapless dress and watching it hug her every curve. Memories of being able to touch her and know that he were the only one who could touch her that way. She was enough! No amount of money could take that away from him. It was real! It wasn't fake or just business! It was real! He was really, truly, in love with her.  
  
Inu-yasha spun around on his heels and grabbed her arms so tightly that he though he had dug his claws into her flesh. "No, Kagome! I don't want you to pay me! Just go! Get out of--"  
  
His voice was cracked and broken and his eye make up was failing. It began to run down his face. Yet his eyes had caught a far bigger fear than having her pay. Naraku's bodyguard had come into view and was heading toward them. There was no place to run but...the stage.  
  
Inu-yasha gripped her arm and pulled her toward the stage, Naraku's bodyguard hot in pursuit.  
  
~~~~  
  
Shippo had finally wriggled his foot out of the knot, but now his costume was caught. He grumbled and fussed with the lacing to try and get out of it.  
  
He suddenly heard a voice pleading backstage, crying Inu-yasha's name. The fox looked down and saw Kagome being dragged around by Inu-yasha as all the Diamond Dogs gasped to see her there. "Kagome! Oh no! Kagome, don't come in here! There's a guy with a gun! Kikyo's going to kill you if you don't leave now!" he whimpered knowing that he wasn't being loud enough for her to hear.  
  
Suddenly, the little fox demon felt something rip by his shoulder. He looked up to see sleeve of his star shaped costume staring to giveaway.  
  
"Oh boy!"  
  
~~~~  
  
Kagome stayed close to Inu-yasha's heels, still never taking notice that Naraku's bodyguard was coming around the bend at any given moment. Inu- yasha turned around to try and plead with her to leave. "Please, Kagome just go home!" he mumbled. "You don't understand! Please, just go!"  
  
Kagome's stare made his heart wrench with pain as he watched Kagome's eyes overflow with tears. He wanted to kiss her. Inu-yasha didn't want to see her cry anymore, and at his expense. He was the one causing all this pain for her and it killed him. He wanted to love her! To share his love with her for all eternity was a paradise...heaven on earth.  
  
Kagome's heart was pleading with her to do the same. She knew she was hurting him, but she knew he didn't love her. It was all a lie! "Not until I pay you!"  
  
Inu-yasha suddenly twitched his ear and spied the bodyguard getting ready to take aim. He gasped as he grabbed Kagome and without really even thinking about it, he pulled her through the curtain with him as Sesshoumaru was saying his last few lines.  
  
Everyone gasped as Inu-yasha and Kagome rolled out on to the stage through the backdrop that depicted a royal room and landed motionlessly on the second stage step up from stage level. The audience looked at the two masses of flesh and waited for one of them to move.  
  
Kikyo gasped as she caught sight of Kagome lying on Inu-yasha's chest where she had fallen. Her face turned hot red with rage and she turned to Naraku who was equally surprised.  
  
Kagome stirred first, and then Inu-yasha as she pushed herself to her knees. Inu-yasha's stomach hurt after having her fall on top of him and he groaned as he turned to his side.  
  
Sesshoumaru snapped back into reality as he looked to the audience and then to Kikyo. "My son has been with another woman without my knowledge. I tell you now, Princess! I'm sure there is a go excuse for all of this. I know my son still plans to marry you and become king."  
  
He didn't know what to do. All he knew was that Kagome was there and so was his brother. The show had to go on! He had to try and just go along with it.  
  
Kagome had slightly different plans though. She opened her eyes after rubbing her head, and gasped as she looked at all of the staring faces. Inu-yasha groaned and lifted his chin to look at the crowd.  
  
Kagome slowly turned her head back to him, as Kikyo looked on with her long what looked like twenty feet of blood red cloth flowing over the stage rises behind her. She watched as her face began to match her dress.  
  
Kagome pushed herself to her feet and glared at Inu-yasha. He looked up at her with all of his red and black makeup staining his broken face. Her breathing was heavy from being so nervous and following him while screaming at him. He didn't say anything he just looked at her.  
  
Kagome finally reached into the black satin shirt's pocket and pulled out a roll of francs. He's face broke and his eyes were pleading with her, but she ignored him. With one gesture, she flung the loose roll of money in his face as the currency fluttered over his body and into his sparkling silver hair. He covered his face like it was a disease and didn't look up until he heard Kagome speak.  
  
Kagome took a deep breath and looked out to the crowd while pointing at the gigolo heartbroken and disheveled on the second stage high rise. "I have paid my male whore!" she announced to the crowd. All gasped in shock and surprise, mostly because they never thought they'd see the day a woman would use such language.  
  
Kikyo began to approach here and stood on one side of Inu-yasha and glared at her. "Leave, milkmaid!" she hissed.  
  
Kagome looked at her and glared. "Fine! Do with him, as you will! He means nothing to me!"  
  
Inu-yasha looked up at Kagome shocked, 'No!'  
  
Kagome and the others around her suddenly heard the audience starting to gossip. Sesshoumaru looked at them through the corner of his eye. "Look, do you see it!"  
  
"They look almost exactly a like!"  
  
"Which one is Kikyo?"  
  
"The one in the red stupid! Look at that rack!"  
  
"Who's that girl?"  
  
"I know her! She's the one who was dancing with Inu-yasha last week on the stage. I knew there was something fishy about the way she looked."  
  
Kagome took a step down from the high rise, and the sound of her foot made everyone hold his or her breath, even Naraku. She continued to stair at Kikyo as a tear rolled down the side of her face. Kagome slowly fixed her hair back in its bun, but the stray hairs remained, framing her face.  
  
It was then that Inu-yasha saw that she was wearing the white dress she had made for the final number. Her hair now looked exactly the way he had pictured her to look. Kagome still loved him she had to. Why else would she have worn the things that reminded her of him? She was wearing the sheets that were kissed with the moment they made love together for the first time. Kagome was wearing the sheets in the dress and the French lace. No, this wasn't what it seemed. She lied...just like he did!  
  
"Ka...Kagome!" he managed to mumble.  
  
Kikyo looked down at him for a moment, and then saw as Kagome's hands left her hair, they glided down to her neck and chest. She closed her eyes and her fingers touched the Shikon Diamond. Inu-yasha felt his heart beat start to stabilize and the pain in his chest was gone. He was coming back to life.  
  
Then, Kagome's eyes opened and she fisted the tiny pink gem in her hand and broke the chain that hooked it around her neck. His heart broke again as he watched Kagome pulled the Shikon Diamond from her breast. His mother's jewel! Kagome stretched out her hand and dropped it.  
  
The air was so still and quiet, that the sound of gold metal coming in contact with the wood floor resounded in the hall with a loud ping, clink, clink! Inu-yasha looked at the fallen jewel in front of him. The jewel his mother had told him could grant wishes. He never believed in it, but now he wanted to. He wanted to believe everything but what was happening right now.  
  
Inu-yasha looked up at Kagome as he pushed some of his weight up with his elbow. Soon Miroku and the rest of the cast started to sneak on stage but none got too close. Sango gripped Miroku's arm as she watched with heartbreak and tears in her eyes.  
  
Kagome was hiding her pain, and he knew it. He could see through her mask, just like she had once looked through his. He couldn't loose her! No, he wouldn't loose her. He'd die first before he lost her now.  
  
"Kagome!" a voice cried out, and suddenly all direction was turned to Miroku and Sango as a fuzzy fox demon landed in Sango's arms. "Shippo!" she whispered. The little fox shook his head and tugged at Miroku's shirt. He whispered in a slight panic, "There's a man behind the curtain who's trying to kill Kagome."  
  
Miroku lifted his head and saw a figure moving back stage. He glared at it for a moment before rolling up his sleeves. "I knew something fishy was going on around here. Kikyo made a set up! He must have told her he doesn't love her so that she wouldn't come here tonight."  
  
Quickly, Miroku dodged backstage as Sango held Shippo in her arms. Shippo watched as Kagome took one last step down and began to walk away. Inu- yasha returned his gaze to Kagome, tried to get up but Kikyo pushed him back down with her foot. He let out a loud 'oaf' and his hand landed near the pink jewel on the first high rise.  
  
"Kagome, no!" he managed to squeak.  
  
She turned around and looked at him with a cold stare, but it was the look that said to him, 'How could you? How could you just throw it all away? I love you, Inu-yasha. I shared my soul with you, my heart, and body. You think that this life with Kikyo is wroth loosing all of that?'  
  
Kagome felt a tear roll down her cheek. "We're finished here!" she sobbed, and began to march down the catwalk. Inu-yasha shook his head. "Kagome! No! Kikyo was going to-ugh!"  
  
Kikyo kicked his stomach and then untied her long flowing red cape and threw it over him, covering him completely. Kagome stopped and slowly turned around and watched at the red cape covered her last sight of him. Kikyo marched toward her. "Leave! You have no purpose here anymore! Get out of my face! Get out of this hall! Get out of this city! Frankly I don't care where you go, but never show your slut face here ever again. Inu-yasha belongs to the Well de Rouge, not to some spoiled girl."  
  
Kagome felt hot tears roll down her cheeks. "I'm not a girl...I'm a woman, now! I know, now, that I can never have what I truly want."  
  
Inu-yasha opened his eyes while he was still covered in Kikyo's red cape. 'No, Kagome! That's not true! I... I Love You!'  
  
He felt his claws suddenly brush against a small object, and his touch confirmed it as the Shikon Diamond. Tears formed in his eyes again as he brought the jewel to his face. "Mother! I can't do this anymore!" he whispered. He placed the stone under his eyes and began to weep. "If I were human, I could prove it to her. I could be with her! I could be what I want to be. I wouldn't have to worry about this half-breed body anymore and the pain it has caused me. I'd be worthless...priceless. I'd be the man Kagome sees in my eyes, and the one I see reflecting back in hers. I could make love to her and know that she's the only one who could ever touch my human body...my full human body...My Soul!"  
  
Kikyo glared at Kagome and pointed to the door. "You have caused enough trouble here."  
  
Kagome stood tall and held her head up high as she turned her back to all of them and began to walk out of their lives. The crowd watched, still thinking this was all a part of the musical of course even through it was plan to see it wasn't anymore. Still, all of it held their interests.  
  
Kagome began to walk slowly away from all of them, and stepped down the catwalk and began to walk down the long alleyway. Kikyo grinned. "Inu- yasha is mine, you foolish girl! You will not see him again, and you shall not have him," she said quietly to herself.  
  
Kagome felt cold suddenly, and wrapped the satin shirt around her shoulders for comfort. 'If only he had the power to end it. He wouldn't have to live this life. He wouldn't have loved it more than me.'  
  
She began to cry fresh tears and lowered her head to hide her pain. Kagome's heart hurt so much, and her body never felt so cold. She wanted his warmth and tender kiss. She wanted it all to be a lie.  
  
Each one felt their souls crying out to the other one. Inu-yasha felt his body go through its cycle of desire, he wanted to be at her side were it was safe. His soul was safe with Kagome.  
  
He lifted his head and looked at the red shadow around him before looking at his mother's precious jewel. 'I've made my decision! My decision is to be with her. My life is with her. I don't want this pain anymore. I want Kagome! I want to look into her eyes and know she sees me as I really am. I want to see my soul in her eyes. I want to see my soul...I want to be human. I want to be human so I can be with her. They can have my body, but Kagome will always have my soul. My human body!'  
  
Inu-yasha bowed his head down again, and began to feel his head pound with pain. He felt faint, like he was dying. He knew why, too. His soul needed Kagome to survive. It needed her love to go on, and now she would be gone if he couldn't get to his feet.  
  
He felt hopeless, and in his eye he shed one crystal clear tear that didn't collect any makeup and stain his face even more. It was clear, and clean. A tear from his soul, and perhaps, it was a human tear. It rolled down his face and touched his lip as he began to let his body fail him. His soul needed her and it was crying these tears. The tear though at the tip of his bottom lip began to sag.  
  
Then, Inu-yasha felt his body come alive for one moment and he whispered. "Kagome, come back to me! I want to be with you. I need you. I need your love. I need you to help me find my soul. The body I want to have when I'm close to you. I want to be human, all human when I'm with you. I want you to have my human body. I want you to have my human body all the time. My love is human, my soul, and my heart. All you need is that human body. I know you'd love me either way, but I want to be this for you. I want to be human...I wish...I...were human."  
  
The tear sparkled as it broke away from his lip, and almost like a dance it gracefully fell. It was the witness, and the messenger in one sweet clear ball of love. When it fell, it didn't break, it landed on top of the Shikon Diamond, and stayed there until the diamond gleamed with the tear's purity. It was perfect, and the gem began to shine a pink light all on its own as Inu-yasha's hand curled around it and gripped it in his hand.  
  
Miroku dodged back stage and tapped the bodyguard on his shoulder. As the man turned, his face met a hard fist. He dropped his gun and it fell to the floor below them. Miroku then took a deep breath. "That's for working for a dumb ass...ow!" he shook his hand wildly trying to relieve the pain that throbbed in his hand as he back to Sango's side.  
  
Shippo watched as Kagome slowly began to disappear into the hall's darkness. He began shaking his head, knowing that all of it was wrong. If Inu-yasha couldn't stop her because of Kikyo, then what was holding him back? The bitch didn't control him!  
  
Quickly, Shippo jumped out of Sango's arms and headed for the catwalk. Kikyo turned around and spied him as he called out her name. "Kagome!"  
  
She tried to grab the little fox. "Oh no you don't!" but she lost her balance and fell as the fox scampered to the end of the catwalk. "Kagome!"  
  
Kagome didn't turn around and forced herself forward. "No, Shippo!" she whispered. 'Don't look back! He doesn't love you!'  
  
Shippo gasped for air and his pants got louder as he felt tears for in his eyes. He couldn't stand it. Kagome was in pain, and so was Inu-yasha. They loved each other, he just knew it, but how could he stop he? How could he keep her from walking out of his life? What could he say? Say something! Say something, anything!  
  
(Okay, all together now! Big breath!)  
  
"THE GREATEST THING YOU"LL EVER LEARN IS JUST TO LOVE AND BELOVED IN RETURN!!!"  
  
Kagome felt her heart skip a beat and she gasped as she picked up her head and her feet came to a halt. Kikyo gasped and her body tensed. Inu-yasha opened his eyes as he felt his body rush with heat and life. All the others looked at Shippo as he fell to his knees and covered his eyes. He looked up and gasped as he realized Kagome had stopped.  
  
Inu-yasha felt everything turn back to normal. "Kagome!" he whispered.  
  
Kagome clutched her chest and her voice cracked on her whisper, "Inu- yasha!"  
  
Suddenly the crowd began to gasp in awe as Kikyo's fallen cape began to move like the waves of a red ocean. It wrapped around an object in its very center and flap as though wind were making it move. It began to almost dance like a red ball of fire. Kagome didn't turn around though because her body felt so strange, like something of some force was pulling at her.  
  
The red cloth flapped and flagged even though there was no wind of breeze around them that was causing this to happen. Then, all of the sudden the red hue began to change into a pink color, and then white. It began to wash white and the fire that it once appeared to be had become a fluttering white cloud. Slowly it began to descend and a tall object stood in the middle covered by the cloth.  
  
Everyone gasped and wondered who or what was under the cloth. No one could take their eyes off of it, and question circled around the room.  
  
Kagome finally turned her head and looked at the sudden appearance of an unknown white cloth draped over a protruding object in the center of it.  
  
Then, as Kikyo pushed herself to her feet...it stated to mumble a sweet song. It was almost inaudible at first, but some how Kagome knew those words, that voice...it was Inu-yasha.  
  
*Never knew...I could feel like this *  
  
He paused as his covered figure took a step forward. *It's like...I've never seen the sky before *  
  
The figure kept creeping forward and the white cloth continued to cover him as he moved beneath it walking towards Kikyo, who began to pull to the side as the ghost moved down the catwalk.  
  
*Want to vanish inside your kiss  
  
Everyday I'm loving you more...and more*  
  
He passed Kikyo, now as she watched him, and discovered he was moving more quickly now. She stepped on the cloth believing it would stop him, but it began to slip off his form.  
  
*Listen to my heart can't you hear it sing? * He sang a little louder now. Kagome slowly turned to her side as her grip loosened on the black satin shirt. It innocently slipped off of one shoulder, but Kagome was too busy listening to the song, and watching the figure slowly start to run out of white cloth covering him.  
  
*Come back to me... * He sag softly, and just as he paused he picked up his pace as the cloth gave way as he finished the phrase.  
  
*...and FORGIVE EVERYTHING!!! *  
  
The hall resounded with gasps and the sounds of women fainting from shock. Kikyo's eyes widened in fear and complete surprise. Shippo looked up, as Inu-yasha appeared at the end of the catwalk... at least he thought it was he. Yes, yes it was he, but he looked...different.  
  
Kagome's eyes widened as they fell upon, not golden eyes, but dark earthy brown ones. His silver mane had now become a cascade of midnight black locks...and his jacket had become white like it once was. It had become the color of the sheets she used to make it.  
  
Inu-yasha's face was clean and makeup free. He wasn't a gigolo anymore. He was human! He was in his priceless human body. The one that he had been told was worthless, until Kagome made it worth something. She made it whole! Complete, like it had never been before. Her heart raced as she looked into his eyes.  
  
He was...alive!  
  
*Seasons may change winter to spring *  
  
He took one last step closer and took a hard gulp as his eye pleaded with her to forgive him. 'Kagome, I'm sorry! Please let me make it up to you? Let me spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I promise, I'll never leave you again. You'll never be cold again. Just let me hold you, let me kiss you.'  
  
*I love you, 'til the end of time. *  
  
Kagome felt her heart begin to beat with warmth again. Her body filled with that warmth and she turned around completely facing him.  
  
Woman watched in awe as this sudden surprise etched into their minds. Inu- yasha was no longer a half demon, but was he ever? Did it matter? Kagome didn't think so! She knew what her heart was telling her. He was beautiful! Now more than ever because now that the mask was broken, and the real Inu-yasha was alive once more.  
  
Kagome knew...he loved her! He couldn't loose her. That's all she needed to know. The rest didn't matter. As long as she had his love, it was enough to make her feel alive.  
  
*Come what may! * He cried out to her and there was a silent pause as the cast began to file on to the stage and watch Inu-yasha call out to her. The audience kept their eyes fixed on him though.  
  
Kagome felt a lump in her throat, and she began to doubt for a second. Inu- yasha caught her, and sang out once more to reassure her that he believed. It's real!  
  
*Come what may! *  
  
Kagome looked into his eyes as her had pulled at the black satin shirt and it fell to the wood floor. Inu-yasha looked at her, as she stood in the slight darkness in all her angelic beauty. He held out his hand, begging for her to come back.  
  
Kagome slowly began to smile as the light came back into her face and the sparkle in her eyes. She slowly took a step toward him as her arms hung stiffly at her sides.  
  
^Come what may! ^ Kagome responded softly at first, and soon the audience spun around in their seats as all eyes fell on Kagome. She kept her eyes on him, just like when they danced.  
  
^Come what may! ^ she sang a little louder now holding her first note a little longer. Inu-yasha felt his grin return as she quickened her pace toward him.  
  
^ I will love you ^  
  
He stood tall as his hand dropped to his side. *I will love you *  
  
Kagome's smile got brighter as she got closer to him. ^Until my dying day! ^  
  
*Dying day! *  
  
Kagome then took the leap into his arms as his hands held her face and hers touched his bared chest. His breathing was slightly heavy as he came in contact with her skin again. Kagome's eyes shined into his as she looked for her breath.  
  
^*Come what may!  
  
Come what may! *^  
  
Inu-yasha rubbed his nose against hers as he closed his eyes, and Kagome watched him, as her smile got brighter.  
  
*Come what may! *  
  
He opened his eyes as he took hold of her hands, and looked into her eyes as he rotated both of them a quarter turn.  
  
^* I will love you until my dying--*^  
  
"No!" Kikyo cried out, and both of them spun their heads around to look at her.  
  
She began to pull the diamonds from her face and body as she glared at them. "He's a gigolo! Your kind of love is forbidden! You can never love someone who gives his body to other women."  
  
Kagome grinned. "But he hasn't! He gave his human body to me, and me alone."  
  
Many women gasped as Inu-yasha looked at Kagome in awe. She turned back to him and looked into his eyes. He smiled and nuzzled her face. "You! Just you! I'm not a gigolo anymore. I'm human, Kagome. I'm human from this point on."  
  
Not a soul was mad at this fact. In fact many of Inu-yasha's clients were there and began to shed tears of joy.  
  
"I'm yours, Kagome! From this point, until the day I die. I'm yours, and yours alone!"  
  
Kagome smiled as a tear of joy formed in her eye as he leaned in to kiss her. She pressed back as his arms wrapped around her and her arms wrapped around his neck. As Inu-yasha pulled her closer, the audience applauded.  
  
Kikyo clenched her teeth in rage and took one step toward her before something pulled her back and she fell on the first high rise. She whipped her hair out of her face and saw Sango brushing her hands off with a smile. "Oh, please do, shut up!"  
  
Miroku came to her side and looked at Kikyo and then turned back to Sango as Shippo run up to their feet. Miroku watched as Kagome and Inu-yasha broke their kiss and then lifted Sango into the air and twirled her around.  
  
Shippo jumped for joy and looked at Kikyo as she thrust her hand into her hair to clear her face of black hair. "No matter what you say"  
  
The Diamond Dogs took hold of each other's hands and gathered across the stage. (The show is ending our way.  
  
Come on and stand your ground for Freedom, Beauty, Truth, and LOVE!)  
  
Reference key, (Diamond Dogs and others = (), Inu-yasha = ....awe heck you know this all ready why am I bothering to tell you? : D)  
  
(How wonderful life is)  
  
^One day I'll fly away ^  
  
*My gift is my song * Inu-yasha sang as he picked Kagome up bridal style to bring her back to the stage and twirled her one time once he got there, both beamed with their happiness.  
  
(The children of the revolution,  
  
No you won't fool the children of the revolution)  
  
^One day I'll fly away ^  
  
*My gift is away *  
  
(No you won't fool the children of the revolution  
  
No you won't fool the children of the revolution)  
  
Naraku glared as Inu-yasha and Kagome motioned down the catwalk holding both hands. He then turned to Kikyo stared at her for a moment, and then got out of his seat...and left. He left her with no power.  
  
(Come what may)  
  
^*I will love you*^  
  
(Come what may)  
  
^*Yes, I will love you*^  
  
(Come what may)  
  
^*I will love you*^  
  
Kikyo glared at both Inu-yasha and Kagome as her hand rode up the side of her leg and under her dress. "My way! My way! My Way! My Way!" she whispered.  
  
Inu-yasha looked into Kagome's eyes and pressed his lips to hers as her threw his arms around her and the curtain began to close.  
  
(Until my dying day!)  
  
The crowd stood up for a standing ovation behind the curtain, but Kagome and Inu-yasha continued to kiss as passionately as they could muster the will to.  
  
Kagome finally broke the kiss as Inu-yasha caught his breath. "You know," she whispered, "Nine more babies don't sound half bad right about now."  
  
Inu-yasha opened his eyes and grinned as Kagome's smile shined on his face. Then suddenly his eyes widened in confusion. "Wait! I never said nine kids!"  
  
Kagome nodded, "I know, you said you wanted ten."  
  
Inu-yasha looked at her strangely. "But you just said...nine more?"  
  
His face turned into one of surprise as Kagome's eye lit up with a fire he had never seen before. Inu-yasha ran his fingers through her hair and looked over her face to make sure she wasn't fooling with him.  
  
His face was content before he smiled again. "Nine more, huh? I got a lot of work to do."  
  
Kagome giggled as he gazed into her eyes with so much joy. Slowly, he bent down to kiss her again, and then the curtain opened for the final bow. Both of them looked out into the crowd and smiled as they cheered and clapped.  
  
The cast joined hands, and bowed slowly. It wasn't until they slowly began to straighten up again, that the sound of a gunshot resounded through the hall, and all of the cheering turned to screams of terror.  
  
~~~~  
  
See you soon, for the conclusion of "Well de Rouge"! 


	20. Until My Dying Day

Disclaimer; The original characters in the based story are not mine and the characters that are originally in the series are not mine. Characters of my own creation are added to the story; otherwise the characters belong to the original author.  
  
Well de Rouge (An Inu-yasha X Moulin Rouge Tale)  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 20; Until My Dying Day  
  
The screaming came to a halt as the crowd ducked behind their seats, and everything happened so fast that Kagome hadn't realized she was in Inu- yasha's strong arms. His was pulling her into his body with a grip she never knew he had, and when the silence was defining, the curtain suddenly collapsed and closed the stage. Kagome opened her eyes slowly as she felt her heart pounding. It took a moment for her mind to recollect what happened, and her mind searched every nerve in her body. All she knew was that Inu-yasha was gripping her body like a snake, and that she was still on her feet. She let out a gasp of air, and began to regain her reality.  
  
A gunshot! Someone shot a bullet into the crowd, or at someone. Did it hit something? If so what did it hit? Kagome checked her body for pain, any sharp pain. She'd never been shot before, and she wasn't sure if her body was lying about the pain from Inu-yasha's grip.  
  
She was fine! Kagome was unharmed. "Inu-yasha? Inu-yasha, I'm okay!" she mumbled trying to pull herself from his grip. "Inu-yasha? I'm okay, Inu- yasha! I'm okay!"  
  
Miroku pulled himself off of Sango and looked around, but all Kagome could see was the lights and Inu-yasha's white jacket. She heard footsteps run, and then someone being restrained. Kikyo's voice squeaked as gigolos bound her with anything they had. Yet, Kagome didn't muster the will to look at what she was hearing. Her mind was wondering why Inu-yasha was gripping her body.  
  
Then, she heard a voice. It was weak, and it cracked. "K...Kagome?"  
  
Kagome smiled as his grip loosened. "I'm here, Inu-yasha! I'm okay! I'm alright!"  
  
He finally loosened up a bit, and Kagome gripped his arms as she looked up at him. He was staring at her with wide eyes, like he had gone into shock. "Your...your alive?"  
  
Kagome's eyes filled with fear. Something wasn't right. "Inu-yasha? Inu- yasha, what's wrong?"  
  
His hands suddenly gripped her arms and he leaned forward a little before closing his eyes trying to find his breath. "Are you...alright?"  
  
Kagome shook her head, not understanding why he wasn't responding to her questions. "I'm fine! Inu-yasha? Inu-yasha, tell me what's wrong?"  
  
He opened his eyes and tears filled his brown eyes. "You're alive! You're okay!"  
  
Kagome felt him put his hand to her face and her eyes filled with fear. "Inu....Inu-yasha, what is it?"  
  
He closed his eyes and tried to take a deep breath, and he staggered as he took air in. Kagome's heart started beating faster in a panic. "Inu- yasha?"  
  
He opened his eyes as his body began to lean forward. "Kagome...so...much pain!"  
  
Kagome gasped as he tumbled beside her with a loud cry of agony. She caught him in her arms at the last second and held his head up with one hand as he cried out. Kagome's hair fell out of its bun, and exploded over her shoulders as she came to the realization. 'He...he's been shot!'  
  
"Inu-yasha!" she cried, and Miroku turned his head as his eyes fell on Inu- yasha lying in Kagome's lap. He gasped in fear and turned to his company as they restrained Kikyo and relieved her of the small pistol in her hand that she had hidden on her stockings. It could only hold one bullet luckily, but one bullet was all she needed. The bullet didn't ht the correct target, but it hit one. It hit one of them.  
  
Kagome shook her head in fear, thinking and hoping it might have been something else. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him. No, no, he was really shot! Her eyes didn't lie! The dress and the jacket she had made for them with her snow-white sheets, the same sheets they had made love on for the first time, were now stained red. Inu-yasha had come alive on those sheets, and now he was dying on them.  
  
Kagome gasped in fear trying to stay calm as the blood on her dress frightened her. "Inu-yasha? Inu-yasha, wake up!"  
  
He opened his eyes slowly, staggering to breathe. Her black locks covered her face, and hot tears began to stain her eyes. She was crying, again. Crying because of him! "No!" he crackled, "No more crying, Kagome. I don't want you to cry over me anymore."  
  
Kagome tried to pull back her tears. "You're going to be okay! We'll get help! It'll be okay!"  
  
Inu-yasha smirked suddenly and looked into her eyes as he mustered the energy to place his palm on her hand. "Yes, it's going to be okay! You're alive! You're alive!" he paused for a painful breath, "That's all that matters to me. As long as you're alive, as long as our baby's alive, everything will be okay."  
  
Kagome placed her hand on his and closed her eyes for a moment press her face into his hand. She turned back to him. "Don't leave me! I need you! I can't live without you! I...I can't dance without you."  
  
Inu-yasha felt her hand on his face and then felt that it was wet with some thick liquid, but he didn't want to see it. "It's okay, Kagome! It's going to be okay!"  
  
Kagome closed her eyes and shook her head. "No, please! Please don't go! Just hold on!" she couldn't hold it back and began to sob, "Please hold on! I need you!"  
  
Inu-yasha felt the pain run through his body, and his back felt wet and sticky. "Kagome, listen to me! Look into my eyes, and listen to me!"  
  
Kagome slowly opened her eyes as tears streamed down her face. Inu-yasha's vision began to get blurry, and he blinked a few times, slowly to try and keep her in focus. "Take the money, and go to Italy. Keep our baby as faraway from this place. Don't come back, you hear?"  
  
Kagome's eyes widened a little. "I can't leave you here! You'll be alone."  
  
Inu-yasha struggled a cocky laugh. "Not as long as you're alive. I'll never be alone as long as I have your love, Kagome. Our love can surpass time, and death. Remember? I will love you until my dying day? I will never die as long as you still love me. I'm alive, Kagome! You gave me life! You gave me love!"  
  
Kagome sniffled as she felt his hand run through her hair. She let his touch sooth her. "I'll be alive in your heart, Kagome. Your heart saw my soul with its eyes, and you'll always see me in your dreams. I'll always be with you. Where ever you go, I'll always be with you."  
  
She pressed her fingers to his lips with her clean hand and bent down to kiss him softly on the lips. Inu-yasha looked into her eyes, as his hand began to loose its strength. "It's okay, Kagome! I'll always be with you."  
  
Kagome gasped for air as her crying made her choke. "Inu-yasha!"  
  
He smiled weakly as his lips began to loose their warmth and tremble. "I'll share eternity with you, Kagome. Just you!"  
  
His hand began to loose it grip and his breath was getting lighter. "Only you!"  
  
Kagome looking into his eyes. "No, please? Don't go! I love you!"  
  
Inu-yasha let his hand fall to the floor at took one last breath. "I'll always love you, Ka-go-me..."  
  
Kagome felt her heart stop for a moment as the shimmer in Inu-yasha's eyes suddenly dulled. "Inu-yasha?"  
  
He didn't respond, but his eyes were open. "No! Inu-yasha? Inu-yasha, no, please! Come back! Please come back!"  
  
Kagome picked his lifeless body into her arms and sobbed as the cast tipped their heads, and Kikyo went into a shock of her own.  
  
Kagome clutched his head to her breast and sobbed. "INU-YASHA!"  
  
~~~~Sixty years later, in the countryside of Italy~~~~  
  
"Grandma, come on, you promised to show me your drawings," squealed Lillian's voice. Grandma Zidler, let out a sigh as she laughed at her five- year old granddaughter jumped up and down. "You said you'd show me the wedding dress in your last line of new Yasha Fashions before you had the business handed over to Daddy and Mommy."  
  
Grandma smiled and bent over slightly to the girl's level. "I did didn't I, Lilly? Well, all right, but remember, these are the fashion that I'm planning on showing at the last show tomorrow."  
  
The little girl squealed for joy as she waited for her grandmother. It took a few moments before she finally unlocked a door to her secret stash. "Ah, here we are!"  
  
Grandma smiled as she pointed to a white dress at her side. "You see that dress? That is going to be the wedding dress I'm going to show last in the show tomorrow."  
  
Lilly ran up to it to touch it. "It's so pretty! Grandma, when I get married, can you make me a wedding dress?"  
  
Grandma smiled as she led her granddaughter out of the room and down the hallway. "If your dear old grandma isn't too old, and her heart gets better soon, then maybe I'll make you a wedding dress."  
  
Lilly jumped up and own as she ran out to her mother's lap on the patio. "Lily, there you are! What have you been doing with Grandma?"  
  
"Oh, Rachel, please! Lily just wanted to see the wedding dress for the last line of Yasha Fashions I'm displaying before I retire."  
  
Rachel was a sweet woman, one Grandma Zidler could be proud to call her daughter-in-law. She was about to break out into the fashion business as well...until she met Lee, and within two years they were wed, and five years after that Lilly came into their lives.  
  
Rachel pulled her brown locks of hair to one side as she tickled her daughter's nose wit hers. A moment later, Lee walked through the doors smiling at the both of them as he leaned against the doors in his casual jeans and boots with his dress shirt buttoned up except for the two at the top.  
  
"Awe, Rachel, come on!" he teased, "You're going to make her think she's a dog or something."  
  
Rachel was American, while Lee was born and raised in Italy. However, Rachel came from an Italian family and if not for a very large family reunion, Lee would not have ran into her at a fashion photo shoot.  
  
Rachel loved his eyes. He had his mother's bluish-brown eyes, and long black hair that he always cut just below the shoulders and tied with elastic. Rachel loved his thick black hair, and knew it was a trait from his father, since his mother had very fine hair. 'He was a French and Japanese, Italian,' she often said.  
  
Grandma, however, new he didn't look very Japanese at all. In fact, if his eyes were all brown and his tresses were longer, he would be the spitting image of his father...when he was human. Lee never inherited the other form. He was completely human...like his father's soul. Grandma got the best part of Lee, and when Rachel came into her life, she was glad to share all the love that she had shared with her son with her.  
  
Often, Rachel would ask how she shared her love so openly with her son. Grandma would reply, "People often say Lee looks like me, but in fact he is the image of his father. When he talks to you, when he kisses you and hugs you, it's all from his father. That's how I know his father is still alive. Lee is his heart, which mind you was the best part of his father."  
  
Rachel never seemed to understand this, but she still loved her mother-in- law, and her husband.  
  
~~~~  
  
Rachel left early that day to put Lilly to bed. It was going to be a long day tomorrow. Lee, however, couldn't sleep, and took a cup of coffee out to the patio to gaze up at the stars and the full moon.  
  
A moment later the door creaked and he turned around to see his mother making her way toward him. He smiled. "Mom, shouldn't you be in bed!"  
  
"Humph! Look who's talking, Mr. Espresso?" she teased as she took a seat in a chair while Lee jumped up on the rail to sit down.  
  
"It's actually coffee, Mom! Decaf!"  
  
Grandma laughed under her breath. "Decaf! When you were young you used to always bother me about drinking my espresso in the morning. When you were old enough to have it, you didn't stop jumping off the walls for a week. Do you remember that?"  
  
Lee chuckled as she let his fingers roll over his cup. "Mom?"  
  
Grandma looked up at him and let her hand prop her head up as she stared at her son. "Lee?"  
  
The man looked at her and smiled. "Those stories about Dad, the ones you told me before I went to bed, you never finished them. You stopped telling me the story right after you took a bow after the show. What happened to you and Dad?"  
  
Grandma stared at her son for a moment, and then got out of her chair and went into her kitchen to pull out a small blank book. She handed it to her son, and sat back down. "I want you to publish that book after I die. I want all the secrets to be revealed about Yasha Fashions and how it came to be. It has been a secret for years about how I started my fashions, and I want the world to know after I'm able to rest in peace."  
  
Lee looked at the small red book and opened it to the first page. "'Well de Rouge' isn't that that old run down hall in Paris?"  
  
Grandma smiled and nodded slowly. "It went out of business after your father died and Kikyo was sentenced to the death penalty, but she ended out getting parole and later on was put in an insane asylum in England."  
  
Lee glanced at his mother, "What about you? Did they ever find you?"  
  
Grandma shook her head. "I was halfway to Spain by the time they got word that the Duke put a bullet in his mouth two days after your father died."  
  
Lee frowned and looked at the story in his hands. "Dad was killed wasn't he?"  
  
Grandma closed her eyes. "His body was killed, yes, but his soul lives in you and me."  
  
Lee smiled and looked at the book before closing it and hoping off the rail. He picked up his cup and headed for the kitchen. He looked back for a moment. "Coming to bed, Mom?"  
  
Grandma looked up at the stars and shook her head as she smiled. "No! Too many memories are being played back in this old girl's head right now. Your father is a wonderful thing to think about on a cool summer night like this."  
  
Lee grinned and placed his cup down before leaning out the door again. "Mom, Dad wasn't really an old half dog demon, was he?"  
  
Grandma hid a smile and closed her eyes. "Lee, the greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."  
  
Lee grinned and shook his head. "You always tell me that. When are you ever going to tell me?"  
  
Grandma didn't answer his question. "Good night, Lee!" she said softly.  
  
Lee smiled as he closed the door. "I love you, Mother!"  
  
"Come what may?"  
  
Lee smiled as he whispered out to her, "Until my dying day!" and slowly closed the door to go to bed.  
  
Grandma smiled as she looked up at the stars and lay back in her chair. She gazed at the moon for a long time and closed her eyes to push herself to her feet. Slowly, she picked up her nightgown's skirt and began to dance on the patio. She danced in the moonlight as though she were dancing with an invisible partner. Slowly she began her spins and got so dizzy that she fell back in to her chair for a moment and placed her hand against her heart as it filled with pain. "I need to take a breather!"  
  
Suddenly, she heard someone snickering in the background. "Already? We just got started!"  
  
Grandma leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes as she smiled. "You loved to spin me around in circles remember? You would scoop me up into your arms and your would spin me around until I'd laugh."  
  
The voice snickered again. "I loved it when you smiled. You would always smile when I spun you around in circles. You'd smile when we danced...when we talked...when we kissed..."  
  
"When we made love?" Grandma said, and her voice seemed to sound younger now all of the sudden and the pain in her chest seemed to lift. She wasn't so tired anymore.  
  
"You taught me how to make love...you showed me love was real." The voice got louder and closer, it started to not sound so distant.  
  
Grandma smiled as she held herself in her chair. "You loved to kiss me in all those secret places at the Well de Rouge. They always felt the same, warm and filling. My body would feel like it was floating on air when I kissed you." Her voice was young again, and the pain in her chest was gone. She felt strong again; stronger than she had felt on her last day in Paris.  
  
The voice was warmer now and it seemed as though the one speaking to her was right in front of her. "You've gone great, Kagome! Lee's going to be great!"  
  
Kagome smirked still keeping her eyes closed. "He looks like you, you know. Same masculine form and tone. He's like your twin, if he wasn't born with my eyes."  
  
The voice suddenly had a breath and she could feel warm, soft, lips brush against hers. They were familiar; like this kisses she had felt in her dreams, but this...this felt real.  
  
"Inu-yasha?" Kagome managed to whisper before the warm lips pressed against hers. She felt as though she could fly again, and wrapped her arms around his neck to keep herself from floating away. Slowly, the kiss came apart, and Kagome opened her eyes to look into the dark earthy brown ones before her.  
  
Inu-yasha smiled. "Are you ready to go home?"  
  
Kagome looked at him, "But you told me not to go back to Paris?"  
  
He cocked a smile as she picked her young body out of the chair and led her to the kitchen door. Inu-yasha's smile never looked better, or brighter in the moonlight. He slowly opened the doors, and before them stood the hall of the Well de Rouge. All of the Diamond Dogs were chattering, until there was a loud hush and everyone turned their heads to smile as Kagome walked into the room in her white gown she had made from her sheets, and Inu-yasha took her hand as his white jacket swayed in the air.  
  
Miroku and Sango smiled as they ran up to her and hugged her. "Kagome!" Sango cried, "I thought I'd never see you again!"  
  
Miroku smiled as he gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. Kagome smiled and hugged her friend back.  
  
Suddenly, a far younger voice ran up to them calling out to her. "Kagome's back! Kagome's here!"  
  
Kagome smiled as she ruffled his hair only to feel a sudden jerk into Inu- yasha's arms as he pulled her close to him. Kagome giggled as Inu-yasha gazed into her eyes. Sango picked up Shippo as they watched the two separated souls reunite in a soft kiss. Inu-yasha gripped her close to his body as he deepened the kiss just slightly. A moment later, everyone began to clap their hands, even Kouga and Sesshoumaru looked at though they would shed tears of joy.  
  
Inu-yasha finally broke the kiss and grinned as Kagome sighed. "I've been waiting so long for this day."  
  
Inu-yasha smiled and he lifted her chin to look into her eyes. "You'll be waiting for eternity for it to end, though?" Inu-yasha teased.  
  
Kagome giggled as he laughed. She looked into his eyes and placed her hand on his chest "Eternity, sounds wonderful."  
  
Inu-yasha took her hand and pulled her close to him as he began to dance with her on the floor. They gazed into each other's eyes as the crowd behind them began to disappear into a night sky. They were on the roof again, slowly Inu-yasha bent down to kiss her and he held it until she trembled. He broke the kiss and smirked as he pressed his nose to hers.  
  
*Come what may! *  
  
^Come what may! ^  
  
Kagome smiled as Inu-yasha cupped her face in his hands and she placed her hands over his chest.  
  
(I will love you! Until my dyyyyyyiiiiinnnnngggg ddddaaaayyyyyy!)  
  
THE END  
  
(The greatest thing  
  
You'll ever learn  
  
Is just to love  
  
And be loved  
  
In return!)  
  
~~~~  
  
Be sure to stick around for the author's note in Chapter 21.  
  
See you soon, and thank you all for reading! 


End file.
